Disabled people dictate robot by thought

Scientists from several research facilities in the U.S. - such as Brown University, Providence VA Medical Center, Harvard University Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital - have worked together to build a robotic arm ability to "understand" the human mind. According to AP, they tested the performance of the robot with two people (one male and one female) lost the ability to move from the neck down, Tuesday 16/5.


For two people with disabilities can control robotic arm, the scientists implanted a tiny sensor - similar sized aspirin for children - on their brains. These sensors collect electrical signals from a few dozen brain cells process moves of the person they imagined while their arms are moving. The electrical signal is transmitted to a computer to computer transfer software in order for them to arm.
When researchers asked two groups of disabled people control arm massage with foam balls in front of them, men perform tasks much faster than women. Then the team asked the woman used robotic arms to grab a bottle of coffee. The operations that must be included robot hold the bottle, put the bottle to her mouth to suck woman coffee through the tube, put it back to the table. The woman making the request succeeded 4 times out of six attempts.
Tests showed the cells of the motion processing in the brain, limbs can still work after being paralyzed man (woman involved in the trials was paralyzed 15 years ago). The ultimate goal of the research team is using their technology to activate paralyzed limbs of the human body and making the prosthesis is capable of receiving commands from the brain. However, they acknowledged that disabled people will have to wait many years before witnessed the emergence of the robotic arm capable of operating under the idea appeared on the market.