Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine are refining a surgery that within a few years could give people who have been paralyzed a chance at increased independence.

This surgery, which is currently being tested on monkeys, involves implanting an electrode into the brain to acquire electrical impulses given off my the neurons. These signals are then fed into a microcomputer which interprets them and uses that information to control a nearby robotic arm. After a relatively short amount of training (measured in days), the two test subjects involved in this experiment could use this arm to pick up food and guide them to their mouths with ease.

Money See, Monkey Do

Scientists working on this study hope to use similar technology to help injured humans. An updated version of the device would utilize telemetry, allowing the signals to be transmitted wirelessly from the thumb-tack sized implant to the arm.

One of the most exciting facets of this technology is the training time. The data suggests that within a week, subjects would be able to control their prosthetic and this control would only get better as time progressed.

As it stands, the technology is still impractical, however, scientists are hopeful that they will be able to test this system on humans within the next two years.

(RSS)

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