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Thursday 12 July 2012

Paralyzed woman moves robotic arm with her brain





Cathy Hutchinson, who has tetraplegia which is a type of paralysis of the limbs, took part in an exciting experiment which integrated a robotic arm to her motor neural cortex. The team inserted a small sensor consisting of electrodes attached to a thin gold wire into Cathy's brain, in an area called the primary motor and premotor cortex. These areas of the brain deal with executing movement and the spatial 'feel' of movement.



The patient normally has to have a carer set up her drinks for her making sure it is in the perfect position. This video which was shown on Nature (a recognized scientific journal) shows how Cathy can drink coffee without a carer.

This is truly a break through in robotics and neuroscience, as both fields become more advanced we will see more exciting new array of neurally controlled robots (NCR).

Original research paper: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7398/full/nature11076.html

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