Controlling electronic prosthesis by thoughts wirelessly to become reality

 

Introduction

The current generation of neural implants record tremendous amounts of neural activity, then transmit these brain signals through wires to a computer. Stanford researchers have been working for years to boost a technology that could one day help people with paralysis regain use of their limbs and enable amputees to use their thoughts to control prostheses and interact with computers. This would help millions.  But, when researchers attempted to create wireless brain-computer interfaces to do this, it took so much power to transmit the data that the implants generated too much heat to be safe for the patient. The study suggests how to unravel this dilemma — and thus cut the wires. 

What is it? 

The team of Stanford researchers focuses on improving a brain-computer interface, and a device is implanted beneath the skull on the surface of the patient’s brain. The implant connects the patient’s nervous system to an electronic device, for instance this helps restore some motor control to a person with a spinal cord injury, or someone suffering with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The researchers are trying to create wireless brain-computer interfaces. The latest versions of these devices record enormous amounts of neural activities, then transmit the signals to the computer through wired mediums. The wireless devices are likely to produce too much heat that can be harmful for the patient. A team of electrical engineers and neuroscientists are still trying to create wireless devices.

How would it be beneficial ? 

But now, it is possible to create a wireless device, capable of gathering and transmitting accurate neural signals, and only using a tenth of the power required by current wire-enabled systems, as told and shown by a team of  electrical engineers and neuroscientists Krishna Shenoy, PhD, and Boris Murmann, PhD, and neurosurgeon and neuroscientist Jamie Henderson, MD. The wireless devices also would look more natural than the wired models and give patients freer range of motion. A processor inside the device would amplify the spikes emitted by the neutrons.

The signals will be carefully identified and isolated, using less power and thus making it safe to implant the device on the surface of the brain,therefore being more beneficial.

            Future of this

So far, in the testing, researchers have collected neuronal data from three non-human primates and a human participant in a clinical trial. Upon testing, as the participant performed the tasks involving movements, researchers noted down the measurements. The information validated their hypnosis that a wireless device could control an individual’s movement by recording a subset of ‘action-specific’ brain signals rather than collecting brain signals in bulk. So, the next goal is to build an implant on this new technology to reach the ultimate objective. This implant would definitely help people with paralysis to be able to use their thoughts to control electronic prosthesis - both wirelessly and safely.

Conclusion

Ages ago, it seemed impossible to control a prosthesis by thoughts alone. Now, with many milestones achieved, it would be possible to control it via wireless device. There’s still a lot to grow in this field.