Monkeys Move Robotic Arm With ‘thought Power’
Chinese scientists have enabled a monkey to move a robotic arm at a distance using only the power of thought. The development could play an important role in restoring mobility to paralyzed people.
The team, led by artificial intelligence professor Duan Feng from Nankai University, says this is a breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology.
The development, which has not yet been peer-reviewed and announced on the university’s website, could be used in the field of medical technology in the future.
Many companies are already working on brain chips. However, these chips need to be surgically implanted directly into people’s brains. Many people do not favor chip technology because they find these surgeries dangerous. The surgery can also cause an inflammatory reaction in the organ.
But the Chinese researchers emphasize that their invention does not bring brain surgery. The researchers implanted the tiny device into the animals’ arterial walls, just like heart stents.
The stent placed in the carotid artery spontaneously traveled from there to the brain’s motor cortex, which controls the body’s movements.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor that can record brain activity was placed on the stent.
This sensor collected electrical signals from the brain and sent them to an external device. After processing, the monkeys’ brain signals reportedly moved the robotic arm.
In the future, this development could play an important role in giving mobility to people who are unable to move due to paralysis and various diseases.
