{"id":5160,"date":"2015-05-22T15:05:28","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T22:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackrockneurotech.com\/?p=5160"},"modified":"2025-11-12T14:55:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T14:55:44","slug":"brain-reading-implant-controls-arm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackrockneurotech.com\/insights\/brain-reading-implant-controls-arm\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC | Brain-Reading Implant Controls Arm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brain-Reading Implant Controls Arm<\/a><\/h1>\n
By James Gallagher<\/span> for BBC News<\/span><\/h6>\n
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22 May 2015<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A man has been able to control a robotic limb with a mind-reading chip implanted in his brain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

It allowed Erik Sorto, from California, to sip a drink unaided for the first time in 10 years.<\/p>\n

The details, published in Science<\/a>, reveal how complex bursts of electrical signals in his brain could be interpreted into commands for the arm.<\/p>\n

Experts said the results made brain-controlled robotics closer to being a reality.<\/p>\n

Mr Sorto was shot at the age of 21. The damage to his spinal cord left him paralysed from the neck down.<\/p>\n

Mind control<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two tiny sensors were implanted into his brain to monitor the activity of around 100 neurons.<\/p>\n

Previous attempts at thought-controlled robotics have focused on the motor cortex – the region responsible for the action of individual muscles.<\/p>\n

However, the US team tried implanting the chips in the posterior parietal cortex – the part of the brain that comes up with the initial intention.<\/p>\n

It is the difference between deciding to pick up a mug or telling your hand to move towards it.<\/p>\n

The team hopes this approach will be more intuitive.<\/p>\n

One of the researchers, Prof Richard Andersen from Caltech, told the BBC News website: “The first time he tried the robotic limb he could form his hand to mirror one of the student’s hands as if shaking hands – for him it was a huge thrill.”<\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

He has improved with training so that he can lift a drink to his mouth and also control a cursor on a computer screen.<\/p>\n

Mr Sorto said: “I joke around with the guys that I want to be able to drink my own beer, to be able to take a drink at my own pace, when I want to take a sip out of my beer and to not have to ask somebody to give it to me.<\/p>\n

“I really miss that independence. I think that if it were safe enough, I would really enjoy grooming myself – shaving, brushing my own teeth. That would be fantastic.”<\/p>\n

Progress<\/strong><\/p>\n

The field of harnessing a healthy brain to overcome a damaged body is advancing rapidly, particularly in the US.<\/p>\n

Cathy Hutchinson used a robotic arm to serve herself a drink<\/a> for the first time since her stroke 15 years previously.<\/p>\n

Jan Scheuermann was able to deftly grasp and move a variety of objects just like a normal arm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, the developments are still largely restricted to the laboratory.<\/p>\n

The procedure still requires an implant with wires coming out of the brain, which could be an infection risk.<\/p>\n

Scientists also want to monitor even more brain cells to improve control.<\/p>\n

A commentary, from researchers Dr Andrew Pruszynski and Dr Jorn Diedrichsen, argued: “The results represent one more step toward making brain control of a robotic limb or computing device a reality.<\/p>\n

“Despite the impressive series of steps taken over the past 15 years, however, these neural prosthetic devices still have a substantial way to go before becoming practical therapeutic interventions.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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