Brain Enabled a 30 year old paralyzed

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Brain Enabled a 30 year old paralyzed
With brain-computer interface (BCI) technological innovation, the ideas of Tim Hemmes, who continual a vertebrae damage that left him incapable to shift his body below the shoulder area, were considered by pc methods and converted into designed activity of a pc pointer and, later, a software arm, described lead detective Wei Wang, Ph.D., associate lecturer, Division of Physical Medication and Recovery, Pitt School of Medication.

"When Tim achieved out to high-five me with the automatic arm, we realized this technological innovation had the potential to help people who cannot shift their own hands accomplish greater freedom," said Dr. Wang, showing on a unforgettable landscape from Sept 2011 that was re-told in experiences around the world. "It's very important that we continue this attempt to meet up with the guarantee we saw that day."

Six weeks before the implantation surgery, the team conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of Mr. Hemmes' brain while he watched videos of arm movement. They used that information to place a postage stamp-size electrocortigraphy (ECoG) grid of 28 recording electrodes on the surface of the brain region that fMRI showed controlled right arm and hand movement. Wires from the device were tunneled under the skin of his neck to emerge from his chest where they could be connected to computer cables as necessary.

For 12 days at his home and nine days in the research lab, Mr. Hemmes began the testing protocol by watching a virtual arm move, which triggered neural signals that were sensed by the electrodes. Distinct signal patterns for particular observed movements were used to guide the up and down motion of a ball on a computer screen. Soon after mastering movement of the ball in two dimensions, namely up/down and right/left, he was able to also move it in/out with accuracy on a 3-dimensional display.

"During the learning process, the computer helped Tim hit his target smoothly by restricting how far off course the ball could wander," Dr. Wang said. "We gradually took off the 'training wheels,' as we called it, and he was soon doing the tasks by himself with 100 percent brain control."