Patient Shows New Dexterity with a Mind-Controlled Robot Arm

A woman who is completely paralyzed below the neck has regained the ability to reach out and interact with the world around her thanks to the most advanced brain-computer interface for operating a robotic arm so far. Each chip has 96 electrodes and is wired through the skull to a computer that translates her thoughts into signals for the robotic arm. The work, performed by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, is reported in the latest issue of The Lancet. The work is the latest advance to show how brain-controlled interface technology can restore some movement to quadriplegics. In May of this year, researchers at Brown University described how a paralyzed patient could use a robotic limb to perform basic tasks, including giving herself a drink of coffee (see "Brain Chip Helps Quadriplegics Move Robotic Arms with Their Thoughts").