A PARALYSED man can pick up items and move objects once again thanks to a robotic arm controlled entirely with his mind.
The groundbreaking technology worked for a record seven months with needing any adjustments – unlike similar devices that only tend to work for a day or two.
A paralysed man was left unable to move or speak after a stroke several years ago.
But scientists from the University of California San Francisco used brain implants with AI that enable him to simply imagine movements.
Tiny sensors on the surface of his brain detect brain activity which are interpreted by a computer to control the robotic arm.
The arm can grasp, move and drop objects.
“This blending of learning between humans and AI is the next phase for these brain-computer interfaces,” said Professor Karunesh Ganguly, a neurologist at UCSF.
“It’s what we need to achieve sophisticated, lifelike function.“
Footage released by the university shows the man’s robotic arm able to grab a plastic cup and place it under a drink dispenser.
For now, the arm moves quite slowly.
But it has the potential to be a life-changer for paralysed people so they can feed themselves or get a drink.
“I’m very confident that we’ve learned how to build the system now, and that we can make this work,” Ganguly added.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Elon Musk teases huge update on Neuralink brain implant patient leaving people shocked over ‘phenomenal achievement'” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6368190069112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Elon Musk‘s Neuralink company has been working on similar technology.
A video recently released by the company appeared to show a participant writing with a robotic arm.
Neuralink’s first human patient Noland Arbaugh successfully used the technology to control the mouse cursor on his laptop and play Mario Kart.
University of California San Francisco’s research was published in the Cell journal.
