It looks like a simple video game, but an innovative new system may one day restore physical control to the lives of paralyzed people.
Neurosurgeons from Stanford and Brown University implanted microelectrodes in the brains of paralyzed research participants. It connects him to a computer so that electrical signals can be sent. A tester can use microelectrodes to pilot a virtual drone through a video game-like path using only his mind. Achievements as detailed on January 20th study Published in the journal natural medicineIt has important implications for helping people with paralysis enjoy activities that were previously inaccessible to them. And maybe one day I'll be able to move on my own again.
“We have developed a highly efficient fingerprint-based brain-computer interface system. It allows continuous control of three independent (virtual) finger groups. which the thumb can control in two dimensions This gives a total of four degrees of freedom,” the researchers wrote in the study. Although scientists have been using brain computer technology to help people with paralysis for more than a decade, But in the past it faced challenges in simulating complex movements, such as the movement of fingers. nature statement.
The participant in the study was a 69-year-old right-handed man who had a spinal cord injury that resulted in hemiplegia. This is a severe form of paralysis that affects most of the body. As detailed in the new report A microelectrode was implanted into his left precentral gyrus. This is the part of the brain that controls hand movement. A neurosurgeon asks participants to watch virtual hand movements. It then uses artificial intelligence to identify electrical brain activity related to specific finger movements.
This connection allows the AI system to predict the desired finger movement. Even though the participants were unable to move their fingers, The brain-computer interface allows him to control the movements of a virtual hand using his mind. The virtual hand is divided into three parts. which he can move vertically and horizontally Sometimes simultaneously: thumb index finger and middle finger And the ring and the little finger
“This is a level of functionality that is beyond anything else. used to be based on finger movements,” said Matthew Wilsey of Stanford University. lead author of this study and is also an assistant professor at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor, in UM. statement– With practice, participants can use the brain-computer interface to control the movement and speed of the virtual drone on a simulated obstacle course. It's similar to how people without paralysis use game controllers to play video games.
The interface “receives signals generated in the motor cortex[in the brain]that occur when the participant attempts to move a finger and uses a neural network to interpret the intent to control the virtual finger in the simulation. Willsey added. “Then we send signals to control the virtual quadcopter (drone).”
“Simulating a quadcopter is not an arbitrary choice” because “the research participants share a passion for flying,” said Donald T. Avanzino of Stanford University. The participants in this study said “while fulfilling the participants' desire to fly. The platform also features multi-finger controls.”
Microelectrodes in the participants' brains were hooked up to a computer. less invasive methods Including electroencephalography (EEG, a painless technique that measures brain electrical activity without the need for surgery) has previously allowed paralyzed patients to play video games. However, researchers suggest that Fine motor control is achieved better by working more closely with neurons. According to a statement from UM, they noted in the study that the brain-computer interface helped participants control the drone more precisely. up to six times similar previous studies that uses EEG
Although the ability to play video games allows paralyzed patients to socialize and engage in leisure activities, But precise and agile control has even more potential.
“Being able to move multiple virtual fingers by controlling the brain You can have a multi-factor control scheme for everything.” Jaimie M. Henderson of Stanford University Participants in this study also explained “That could mean anything. From using CAD software to composing music,” in other words. Such technology can enable patients to pursue more activities or even careers that were previously impossible for them.
while star warsCharacters use their “powers” to control objects from a distance. Scientists are taking advantage of technological advances to help paralyzed patients regain control of their lives.