If researchers can use implanted BCIs to allow people to bypass their muscles, indeed, if these scientists can find a cost-effective, reliable way to work around a damaged or compromised nervous system, people suffering paraplegia, amputation, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's, and a host of other diseases that rob them of their independence, may soon find that the frustrations of daily life are lessened.
Richard van Hooijdonk | Richard van Hooijdonk
Bill Kochevar wears a bright red shirt and what looks like a cast on his right arm. As he raises a fork to his mouth, his movements are awkward and slow, supported by a gravity defying brace mounted on the floor next to his wheelchair.
Hes got a fork full of mashed potatoes, and as he raises it to his mouth, the joy on his face is unmistakable.
It was amazing...I thought about moving my arm and it did!
That may seem unremarkable to you, but since a bicycle collision with a mail truck, Kochevar has been paralysed from the neck down.
Just imagine being paralysed.
Its the stuff of nightmares--wanting to flee and finding your legs rooted in place, unresponsive.
And weve all slept on an arm for long enough to render it dead. Think about that experience now. When you woke up, your limb was just meat, just dead weight that wouldnt move at your beck and call as it should.
Now imagine knowing that no amount of waiting will summon the pins and needles that mean your arm is coming back from the dead, that instead, itll hang lifeless at your side for the rest of your life, and that far from being indispensably useful, youll instead spend every waking moment trying to compensate for this new obstacle, adjusting everything you do from brushing your teeth to driving a car to typing at work--if, indeed, you can work.
Now extend that to multiple limbs or remove them altogether.
You can start to see what its like to live in a body that refuses to cooperate.
Paralysis affects far more people than you might realise. For instance, the Reeve Foundation recently found that 1 in 50 Americans struggle with paralysis caused by stroke, spinal injury, and muscular sclerosis. Nearly a majority are unable to work, a staggering 41.8%.
For them, independence is a dream, something they might remember but no longer experience. But now, advances in neurotech may help them live fuller, more self-sufficient lives.
Mind-controlled wheelchairs and the next step
To help those whove suffered a profound loss of motor control, researchers have been exploring mind-controlled wheelchairs. Rodrigo Quevedo, a Chilean engineer, has developed a design in his Idea factory. His motivating passion, he says, is to do something so [paraplegics] can move. Rodrigos current designs steer the chair by subtle head movements, but hes hoping to make the move to neural control soon.
Diwakar Vaish beat Rodrigo to the punch. This young Indian tech guru has developed the first commercially available wheelchair that features a brain computer interface (BCI). The user need only wear a headset that collects information from her brains electrical impulses, the neural storm that accompanies thought. The BCI translates these minute electrical signals into a language a computer can understand, something like a sophisticated google translate of thoughts. Now that the computer can grasp what a particular thought looks like, it can react and obey.
In Vaishs system, the non-invasive headset connects the users brain to the chair via Bluetooth, and augmented by proximity and terrain sensors, this has allowed even the most stricken patients a measure of autonomy. All thats demanded of the user is a healthy brain, so even those trapped by Locked-in Syndrome can use the new chair. As Vaish told The Sunday Guardian, We have tried it on patients who are in a vegetative state, but their brain is functional and it was successful.
The next steps are to move beyond motorised chairs and into the world of exoskeletons. Miguel Nicolelis, a Brazilian neuroscientist, has been working together with colleagues at Duke University as part of the Walk Again Project to design a wireless system that allows control of a wheelchair with thought alone. By implanting a tiny BCI in the brain of two rhesus monkeys, chosen for their similarity to human beings, they were able to demonstrate that it could control the movements of the chair. Hes pursuing this method because, as he explained to the Mirror, In some severely disabled people, even blinking is not possible. For them, using a wheelchair or device controlled by non invasive measures like an EEG, a device that monitors brain waves through electrodes on the scalp, may not be sufficient. To provide the control they need, invasive measures are necessary.
Nicolelis goal, then, isnt to duplicate Vaishs design. Instead, he wants eventually to develop robotic exoskeletons that are nothing less than an extension of their users mind, a dream he thinks is within reach given the data from these early experiments. For his test monkeys, the chair became something more than a means to get from one place to another; in fact, the wheelchair is being assimilated by the monkeys brain as an extension of its bodily representation of itself. If Nicolelis is right, he might be taking the first steps toward real mobility for paraplegics and others with profound motor impairment. We are not focused on the wheelchair, he promises.
Until now, if you lost an arm--but still had enough of one to be fitted for a prosthesis--doctors could fit you with an artificial arm that you could learn to control by moving the muscles left in your stump. These cumbersome systems are hobbled on a lot of these ifs: if the patient has enough remaining tissue, if the tissue still allows muscle movement, if the prosthetic arm can work well enough outside the lab.
These ifs fall on patients live like a thick blanket of snow, quickly obscuring the way forward. Thats why as many as half of these patients find their new arms collecting dust.
But scientists are well aware of these technological limitations, and their working to overcome them. One example of promising research comes from Johns Hopkins. Working with an epilepsy patient who needed his brain mapped to help him combat his seizures, a process wherein doctors implant tiny electrodes to stimulate the brain at precise--and unique--points, a research team led by Nathan Crone was able to implant a tiny BCI as well. 128 sensors in an areas about the size of a credit card were attached to the part of the mans brain that controls the arm and hand. After mapping exactly how the patients brain worked with a special glove, this interface allowed the Hopkins team to bypass the patients body and use only his thoughts to control the individual fingers of a robotic hand.
Initial results were promising; after mapping his brain, the test patient was able to control the robotic hand with 76% accuracy. By refining the control of the prosthesis--pairing the ring and pinky fingers together, that number rose to 88%. Thats no small feat!
The advantage of a system like this is not only that it can allow functional independence to people who had given up on caring for themselves, but also that it isnt artificial. Patients need merely think about what they want to do--and the artificial limb, chair, or robotic appendage does what its supposed to do. Case Western Reserve University is experimenting with implanted BCIs that have returned a measure of control to Kochevar. Now able to feed himself, hold a cup, and manipulate a fork, he explains, I think about what I want to do and the system does it for me. Its not a lot of thinking about it. When I want to do something, my brain does what it does. The researchers working with him think this is only the beginning.
With further development, we believe the technology could give more accurate control, allowing a wider range of actions, which could begin to transform the lives of people living with paralysis, Bolu Ajiboye, the lead scientist for this study told The Guardian.
Ajiboyes optimism is bolstered by the success of patients like Kochevar, who can slowly raise a mug to his lips and drink from a straw. For someone with quadriplegia to gain even this limited mobility is life-changing, and this advance charts the course for future innovations and provides powerful new tools to help those in need.
If researchers can use implanted BCIs to allow people to bypass their muscles, indeed, if these scientists can find a cost-effective, reliable way to work around a damaged or compromised nervous system, people suffering paraplegia, amputation, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's, and a host of other diseases that rob them of their independence, may soon find that the frustrations of daily life are lessened. For futurists and trendwatchers, the promise is clear.
This new breed of BCI, powered by advances in neuroscience, isnt just technology.
Its hope.
Bibliography
This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.
You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.
Continue reading here:
Neurotechnology and the Future of Hope - Robotics Tomorrow (press release)
- Georgia Tech to Offer Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, New Minor | News Center - Georgia Tech News Center - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- China developed its very own Neuralink Neucyber brain interface comes from a neurotechnology firm - Tom's Hardware - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- Tether Acquires Majority Stake in Blackrock Neurotech - PYMNTS.com - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- China Shows Off Monkey With Brain Chip Allowing It to Control Robotic Arm - Futurism - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts - The Star Online - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- Opinion | The Fight for Your Kids' Brains Has Already Begun - The New York Times - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- DEFENDING THE BRAIN | Duke Mag - Duke University - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- The Innovations and Success of Elon Musk - OPP.Today - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Top Companies Using AI to Transform the Healthcare Industry ... - Cryptopolitan - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- UN Warns Unregulated Neurotechnology Threatens 'Freedom of Thought' - Yahoo News - July 23rd, 2023 [July 23rd, 2023]
- I felt like there was someone in my head, and it wasn't me. - UNESCO - July 23rd, 2023 [July 23rd, 2023]
- Unraveling Connections Between the Brain and Gut - The Good Men Project - July 23rd, 2023 [July 23rd, 2023]
- Neurotechnology: what it is, applications - Iberdrola - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Forget Media Manipulation And Misinformation via TikTok And Twitter, Neurotechnology Heralds The New Battle For Our Brains - Forbes - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- The Jacob Laboratory Translational Neurotechnology - January 2nd, 2023 [January 2nd, 2023]
- Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Experts Come Together In A Play Inspired By Advances In Neurotechnology - India Education Diary - January 2nd, 2023 [January 2nd, 2023]
- Neurotechnologies: The Next Technology Frontier | IEEE Brain - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Twelve Neurotechnology Startups to Present at 2022 Neurotech Leaders ... - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Research Experience for Undergraduates | Center for Neurotechnology - November 8th, 2022 [November 8th, 2022]
- Axoft Launches Brain Implant Technology to Treat Long-Term Neurological Disorders and is Granted FDA Breakthrough Device Designation - Business Wire - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Researcher combines AI and microelectronics to create neural implants that fight brain disorders - University of Toronto - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Global Contactless Biometrics Technology Market Size And Forecast | Aware Inc., Fingerprint Cards AB, Fujitsu Limited, Gemalto N.V., HID Global,... - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Facial Recognition Market Size and Share 2022 | Global Industry Analysis, Feasibility Study and Development Scope by 2032 | NEC Corporation (NEC)... - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Pitt scientists awarded $8 million for neurotechnology to restore arm and hand movements after strokes - University of Pittsburgh - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- UN: Highlights from the 51st Session of the Human Rights Council - ARTICLE 19 - Article 19 - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- PD Neurotechnology, a MedTech start-up for patients suffering from ... - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Brain ScienceConsciousness as the Property of Thought | Neurotech - VGR.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Facial Recognition Technology Market to witness a substantial growth owing to rising adoption of technology till 2032 | NEC Corporation, Aware,... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- ARC Future Fellowships awarded to Turner Institute researchers - Monash University - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Critics Picks: Cate Blanchett, Steven Spielberg Films Among the 15 Best of the Fall Festivals - Hollywood Reporter - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Stryker Launches Pulse Intelligent Delivery Platform at the 2022 American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting - Business Wire - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- If separating conjoined twins results in death, which one should die? - Big Think - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Theater of Thought Review: Werner Herzog Crafts a Bracing Exploration of Neurotechnology and Consciousness - Hollywood Reporter - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Elon Musk seeks to expand his empire in the world of neurotechnology - Gearrice - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- VoxNeuro Announces Collaboration with Boston University and Launch of Clinical Studies Focusing on Concussion and Alzheimers Disease - Yahoo Finance - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Tri-anim Health Services announces exclusive relationship to distribute BrainScope's breakthrough technology for mild head injury including... - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Interaxon Inc. (Muse) Highlights Myndlifts Preliminary Study and the Benefit of Partnerships for Digital Therapeutics Research - BioSpace - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Elon Musk and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis reportedly conceived twins via IVF - The Independent - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Biometric Wearable Market Research Insights with Trends, Competitive Analysis, Opportunities, Forecast 2022 to 2030 Muleskinner - Muleskinner - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Neurotechnology - the future of the legal profession? - Lexology - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Future criminals could be monitored by chips in their brains, experts claim... - The US Sun - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Stryker to participate in the 2022 Wells Fargo Securities Healthcare Conference - GuruFocus.com - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Investing in Brain Research and Neuroengineering - University of Houston - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Hamilton-based Zentrela working to understand the cannabis experience - Hamilton Spectator - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- IntualityAI may be Able to Provide Psychotherapy for Robots in Future - AZoRobotics - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Coconuts, Corporations: On Vauhini Vara's The Immortal King Rao - lareviewofbooks - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- MindMaze Enters New Strategic Partnership with Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN to Advance Technologies for Brain Health, Safety, and Performance - Yahoo... - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- MindMaze Receives Recognition as one of Switzerland's Best Managed Companies - Business Wire - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- OpenBCI and Varjo Partner to Bring Neurotechnology to Spatial Computing - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- Three top technologies taking healthcare by storm - Kalkine Media - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- It is time to leverage technology to correct the challenges people have with their minds: Antano Solar, CE.. - ETHealthWorld - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- Elon Musk Secretly Fathered Twins With His Company's Executive: Report - KFI AM 640 - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- Stryker to host conference call on July 26, 2022 - GuruFocus.com - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- Neurotechnology Announces MOSIP Integration and Support in MegaMatcher SDK and ABIS - PR Newswire - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Musk's Twitter $44 Billion Bid Includes Financier Close to Russia - Report By Investing.com - Investing.com - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Stryker Strengthens Its R&D Capabilities with Advanced Global Technology Center - Press Trust of India - Press Trust of India - June 9th, 2022 [June 9th, 2022]
- Cuba is the only nation with a governmental science and technology program on the brain - Granma English - June 9th, 2022 [June 9th, 2022]
- 3 Disruptive Tech Stocks to Go All In on Now - InvestorPlace - June 9th, 2022 [June 9th, 2022]
- OpenBCI and Varjo Partner to Bring Neurotechnology to Spatial Computing - PR Newswire - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- 3D Reconstruction Technology Market Size, Scope and Forecast | 3D Reconstruction, Eos Systems Inc., Everest Innovation Technology, Microsoft, NAVVIS,... - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Fingerprint Biometrics in the VAR Market to Eyewitness Massive Growth by 2031 The Greater Binghamton Business Journal - The Greater Binghamton... - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Horrors of Elon Musks Neuralink REVEALED including brain hacking technology and animal deaths... - The Scottish Sun - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Stryker Co. (NYSE:SYK) Receives Consensus Rating of Buy from Brokerages - Defense World - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Evon Medics, LLC Has Been Awarded $2.8 Million Grant for the Development and Evaluation of its Mobile Health Platform for Remote Management of... - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Mobile Biometrics Market Analysis by Size, Business Strategies, Share, Growth, Trends, Revenue, Competitive Landscape and Developments Forecast by... - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Dubai on the Brain: NeuroVigil's Philip Low Assembles ... - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Research Associate: Participatory Research and Communications Officer job with KINGS COLLEGE LONDON | 292429 - Times Higher Education - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Face Recognition Software Market 2022: Size, Industry Share, Approaches, and Forecast By 2028, (Idemia (FR), Aware (US), Leidos (US), BioID (DE)) ... - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Stocktake: Investors wary on Musk's Twitter deal - The Irish Times - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Hydrocolloid Dressing Market Competitive Landscape Analysis With Forecast by 2027 - BioSpace - May 6th, 2022 [May 6th, 2022]
- Futuristics Overview of Neural Control Market: Industry Insights and Forecast 2022-2028 by MIT, Hebrew university, Haier, Neurotechnology,,, and more... - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Market Poised to Garner a Valuation of USD 5.48 Billion by 2030, Growing at a 14.72% CAGR - Report by Market Research... - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Stryker's InSpace subacromial balloon spacer two-year, Level 1 randomized controlled clinical study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery... - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Stryker to participate in the Bank of America Securities 2022 Health Care Conference - Benzinga - Benzinga - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Earnings week 2: Supply chain shortages slowed ResMed, other medtechs from meeting demand - MedTech Dive - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Mind-reading technology Are we ready for it? - Freethink - April 25th, 2022 [April 25th, 2022]
- The brain implant that can translate your thoughts into text - SBS News - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Stryker says 88 jobs to be eliminated in May, part of previously announced layoff schedule - The Ledger - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Moon Rabbit Collaborates with Foresight Institute to Speed Up Life Extension Research - CryptoNewsZ - April 4th, 2022 [April 4th, 2022]
- Cybin Announces Initiation of Kernel Flow Feasibility Study Measuring Psychedelic Effects on the Brain - Business Wire - April 4th, 2022 [April 4th, 2022]