Wheelchairs controlled by thinking experiment successfully in monkeys

Scientists have created a wheelchair that can only be controlled by thinking and they have implanted a control device into the monkey's brain to "teach" it to use this car. The results were very positive, the monkey was able to use its thoughts to control the car almost in real time and therefore, promised to develop a wheelchair version for humans, helping to improve the lives of People with disabilities, especially full body paralysis.

In the report published in Nature, scientists at Duke University said that the main component in their system is a brain-machine (BMI) implanted in the brain instead of using devices. The type of EEG electrode commonly found in control systems is previously thought. They said that although the use of BMI is more invasive, it allows deep intervention in the brain, control and commands at high levels without any delay.

Researchers have implanted a BMI device with wifi connection into a monkey's brain.

Dr. Miguel Nicolelis of the research team said: "We want something closer and more friendly to people who are completely paralyzed because you can control the movements continuously with it." . In the experiment, the researchers implanted a BMI device with a wifi connection into a monkey's brain, then sat it on a wheelchair and pushed it around, simultaneously monitoring the signal. Its brain from the outside.

Monkey brain waves are obtained from a BMI implant in the brain.

With the data obtained, they create an algorithm that translates the intention of the monkey into a computer signal that controls the vehicle. In the end, they just need to combine them all and the monkey was able to control the wheelchair with its thoughts at almost real-time speed without human assistance. The group said that the monkey took a day to get used to and control the car proficiently.

After that experiment, the monkey sitting in the car was placed in a strange location and it could drive itself to a nearby bowl of fruit. With this very positive result, the researchers hope that it can be applied to humans, helping those who are paralyzed in the body also able to control wheelchairs, take initiative in many things and from there. Quality of life is improved. However, having the device battery life of BMI only 2 hours and if you want to be applied to people, they must solve this.