Damn, that is brilliant!
Wonder what brand of chocolate it was.
Quadriplegic woman demos advanced mind-control of robot arm
Scientists from the University of Pittsburg report amazing success with a new kind of brain interface that allows a quadriplegic woman to demonstrate fine motor controls with a robot arm. Guinea pig Jan Scheuermann, who has been paralyzed for nearly a decade, had two 4mm-by-4mm chips implanted in her brain, one in the area …
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Tuesday 18th December 2012 09:26 GMT James Micallef
Re: Damn, that is brilliant!
Amazingly cool and amazingly life-changing for so many people.
Especially this " advanced to the point where she doesn't have to consciously control each movement .... but she just thinks of the target action and the arm does the rest. " is key, because it means that with advanced enough robotics / prosthetics, para/quadri-plagics and amputees can have a range of freedom of action comparable to someone with 4 functioning limbs.
Although I guess it's also a first step towards our cybernetic terminator overlords :o
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Monday 17th December 2012 21:26 GMT Charles 9
Well I'll be. It's actually getting there.
Direct brain control of robotic/cyborg limbs. Science fiction is actually creeping closer to science fact. I would say this level of control shows that most of the MMI part is getting pretty nailed, and that's the hard part. Now it's mostly a matter of compacting the technology to make it more portable: a well-trodden and not-insurmountable problem. It's mostly a matter of time at this point.
And even on the consumer front, reading brain activity to perform control functions (either real or virtual) is making progress as well. For some, this might be scary, but for other it could be a thrilling new possibility in the realm of manual operations.
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Tuesday 18th December 2012 15:19 GMT sisk
Re: Well I'll be. It's actually getting there.
Personally I think the average consumer would be hesitant to get a brain implant to control their computer, at least for now. I know I certainly hesitate at that idea. The next generation may not be quite so hesitant about it.
I do, however, greatly anticipate the helmet based approach to BCI.
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Monday 17th December 2012 21:46 GMT JDX
I'm not sure which is more amazing, our leaps in technology or the ability of the brain to automatically reconfigure itself to understand how to communicate with a microchip that's been crudely rammed into place.
Actually, I am sure :) The science is absolutely wonderful but in my view, the more we advance in computing, the more amazing the brain is in comparison.
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Monday 17th December 2012 22:53 GMT Pet Peeve
Re: Exellent
The signal is coming directly from her brain, so it should certainly be possible to use the same signals to drive a muscle stimulator. The technology exists in some form already, I've seen demos of paraplegics standing up and even walking a step or two. That would require that the limb still have some strength and be otherwise undamaged, which doesn't appear to be the case here.
Every once in a while, you see a video like this and realize that flying cars or no, we ARE living in the future.
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Tuesday 18th December 2012 09:50 GMT Kevin Johnston
Re: Exellent
There is always Claire Lomas who this year completed the London marathon course this year wearing a robotic suit. She was paralysed as the result of a horse riding accident but managed to walk about a mile each day to get round the course thanks to the suit. It uses 'muscle twitch' sensors rather than an implant but it is a good indicator that things are coming together.
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Tuesday 18th December 2012 16:47 GMT Oninoshiko
Re: real cyborgs
The lady is a real cyborg.
TBH, I can't imagine being a quadriplegic, but I do image, if I where, having my mind control a hand for the first time in a decade would have me smiling ear-to-ear for the next month. This is a huge advance, and I only hope we can use it to expand on what she can do, and help more people like her.
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Tuesday 18th December 2012 00:13 GMT Fatman
RE: "One small nibble for a woman, one giant bite for BCI," she said.
Made me laugh!
I have profound respect for her willingness to be a "guinea pig" in furtherance of the development of the technology. The potential for seriously improving the quality of life for those who have suffered spinal cord injuries is astonishing.
That "Six Million Dollar Man" may soon become a reality. It can't happen soon enough for many.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
