Manufacturing robot arms is controlled by the brain

A team of neuroscientists and bioengineers at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, announced today that they have successfully built the most modern brain-controlled robotic arm ever.

This is a new breakthrough that opens up hope for patients with paralyzed limbs worldwide. The work was published in the medical journal The Lancet.

By performing a robotic arm implant for paralyzed people who have lost their ability to move, scientists have connected the brain's idea of ​​operation to manipulate the prosthetic arm, through implantation. Very small microelectrode array into the patient's cortex

These microelectrodes will receive signals from the brain associated with motion ideas. These signals will then be copied to the computer code, which the instruction towards is making the artificial arm move at will.

Professor Andrew Schwartz at the University of Ph.D., said the new invention significantly increased the code, or algorithms, allowing the first signal to emerge from the brain to be quickly copied.

The algorithm based on this computer model almost allows to mimic the way a normal brain controls hand movements. The results showed that the prosthetic arms were able to move more accurately and naturally than the previous tests conducted.

The team applied the method to a 52-year-old woman with paralysis from the neck down due to "spinocerebellar" degeneration, unable to move her arms and legs.

Two weeks after prosthetic hand and foot transplant surgery, the woman began a 14-week trial practice.

But surprisingly, only on the second day, the patient was able to move limbs through the control of the brain, and perform manipulations such as grasping, moving small, conical objects. and push a ball rolling outside a coil .

By the end of the trial period, the patient was able to move the prosthetic arm with a success rate of 91.6%, and 30 seconds faster than at the beginning of the trial.

The team is certain that this is a real success in the development of devices that use brain interfaces, including applications to control movements.

They hope the new invention will soon be applied to the military, helping to support injured veterans.