[News] This is encouraging

[epileric]

The woman in the story is able to move a robotic arm using her mind. I find that exciting because of how the computer was taught to understand brain patterns. That sounds like another step towards diagnosing & understanding epilepsy.

The computer was taught how to interpret the brain patterns through practice as the paralyzed participants watched the robot arms move and then imagined that they were moving their own arms the same way.

Paralyzed woman controls robotic arm with her mind

 

[Bernard]

Sounds like an extension of the neurofeedback technology used to control games.

 

[epileric]

Sounds like an extension of the neurofeedback technology used to control games.

It definitely does. I just hope that one of the groups of scientists hears about the other (assuming they haven't yet). The 2 groups co-operating would be great.

 

[epileric]

I found what this neurologist had to say exciting as well.

In addition to controlling a computer screen and controlling a robotic arm, a third possible application of BMI technology is to control the person’s own limbs. This has already been accomplished also – another team used a BMI on monkeys whose spinal cords were temporarily paralyzed. The monkeys were able to control their own arm and hand through a BMI that read their motor cortex activity and then bypassed the spinal cord to directly stimulate the muscles of the arm. The monkeys were able to perform tasks like picking up a ball. Similar research has yet to be done in humans, but it should work just as well.

Mental Control of a Robotic Arm