Monkey thought, robot run

After nearly 10 years of research, US and Japanese scientists have succeeded in using monkey brain signals to manipulate human form via the Internet. They believe this technology can be used for people with disabilities, helping them control their limbs and restore their mobility.

In their study, scientists at Duke University (USA) trained the monkeys to move on the machine. As the monkey moves, the signals generated by the brain are recorded depending on the type of motion, then encoded into the location of the angle of rotation of the foot of the monkey.

These signals were then transmitted over the Internet to scientists at the Japanese Agency for Science and Technology (JST), transferred to the CBi robot, and controlled the robot in real time. If the monkey goes slow, the robot will go with the same speed. Moving pictures of the robot are recorded by the camera and transmitted back to the US for the monkey to observe.

The main problem for scientists today is the implantation of devices into the brain of animals or humans without harming the brain. With the monkeys performed in the study, scientists attached 200 electrodes to their brains to get the signal. As for humans, they have to implant the electrodes and the processor into the patient's brain.

These electrodes transmit information to the brain's signal processor, helping the patient to manipulate the leg or hand. Since the brain generated the signal until the implanted device only took about 0.25 seconds, it made the patient feel like controlling his own organs.

The CBi robot is 1.55m high, weighs 85kg, has 51 degrees of freedom simulating the movement of the monkey on the run (Photo: Kyodo).

MINH ANH