Mind Control of Robot Arm

[TECH NEWS]

Two patients who lost the use of their limbs (and the ability to speak) following brainstem strokes successfully reached out and touched a foam ball, thanks to a small array of electrodes implanted on their motor cortexes and a robotic arm that followed the command of their neurons, according to a Nature paper published today (May 16). “These results are the first peer-reviewed demonstrations of 3 dimensional reaching and grabbing tasks using direct brain control of a robotic device,” study coauthor  Leigh R. Hochberg (Brown University et al.) said at a press conference yesterday. “I believe that these are milestones in brain-computer interface research with exciting implications for neuroscience and neural rehabilitation.” The device that made these advances possible, called BrainGate, made headlines in 2006 when patients successfully controlled a computer cursor. Since then, the system has been refined and connected to a robotic arm that can actually carry out the commands of the motor cortex.

May 16, 2012, The Scientist