Neural prostheses are systems which electrically stimulate neural tissue to restore function which is lost due to disease or injury. The objectives of the Neural Prostheses: Motor Systems IV Conference are to integrate engineering and clinical expertise in the development and application of devices to restore function for individuals with motor impairments; to expedite the transference of neural prostheses from the engineering laboratory to the clinic and the manufacturing industry; and to educate young researchers in a highly specialized but rapidly developing field. The meeting will be held July 23-28 1994 at the Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center near Columbus, Ohio. This international scientific meeting is the fourth in a series of conferences held every three years under the primary sponsorship of the Engineering Foundation (New York). Sessions will be held on neural prostheses for lower extremity, upper extremity, bladder, respiratory, and cardiac function; electrodes, leads, and connectors; muscle and muscle properties; feedback control strategies; command control; and technology transfer and multi-center trials. Participants at the meeting will develop a consensus of the state of the art of neural prostheses for motor control, focus discussion on the principle aspects of their development which are limiting clinical utilization of the systems, direct specific discussion to resolution of these deficiencies, and disseminate this information to the international community working in this field and to interested clinicians and patient-users. Participation at the conference will involve biomedical engineers, clinicians in the medical rehabilitation field, neuroscientists, representatives of the medical device industry, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Funds are requested by the conference chairpersons to support the travel and registration expenses of a portion of the invited participants and publication expenses.
