Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Luca Denaro is a pioneering researcher in neural engineering and neuroprosthetics, whose work focuses on restoring motor control and sensory feedback for amputees through advanced neural interfaces. His most impactful contribution is the first-ever double nerve intraneural interface implant in a human amputee, enabling real-time control of a robotic hand. This landmark study, published in 2010 and cited over 395 times, demonstrated that peripheral nerves can be directly interfaced with multielectrode arrays to decode motor commands and deliver tactile sensations. Denaro further explored the neuroplastic changes induced by such implants, using EEG-TMS co-registration to show that short-term intraneural stimulation can modulate sensorimotor cortical integration—a finding with profound implications for rehabilitation. His work on implanting four intraneural multielectrodes for four weeks in an amputee provided the first evidence that bidirectional neural communication can produce functional neuroplasticity, restoring a sense of embodiment and improving prosthesis control. Denaro’s research bridges clinical neurophysiology and biomedical engineering, offering a transformative pathway toward lifelike prosthetic limbs. His studies remain foundational for the development of chronic neural interfaces that can restore natural hand function and sensory feedback in amputees.