Scientists Develop Mind-Controlled Wheelchair
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New York: US scientists have developed a machine that enables people to navigate a robotic wheelchair through their thoughts.
"In some severely disabled people, even blinking is not possible," said Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke University.
"For them, using a wheelchair or device controlled by non-invasive measures like an EEG (a device that monitors brain waves through electrodes on the scalp) may not be sufficient," he said.
"We show clearly that if you have intracranial implants, you get better control of a wheelchair than with non-invasive devices," he added.
The researchers used a computer to monitor brain signals from a rhesus macaque. They recorded signals from hundreds of neurons in two regions of the monkeys' brains that were involved in movement and sensation.
During experiments, described in a recent issue of the online journal Scientific Reports, as the animals thought about moving toward their goal, in this case, a bowl containing fresh grapes, computers translated their brain activity into real-time operation of a wheelchair.
"In some severely disabled people, even blinking is not possible," said Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke University.
"For them, using a wheelchair or device controlled by non-invasive measures like an EEG (a device that monitors brain waves through electrodes on the scalp) may not be sufficient," he said.
"We show clearly that if you have intracranial implants, you get better control of a wheelchair than with non-invasive devices," he added.
The researchers used a computer to monitor brain signals from a rhesus macaque. They recorded signals from hundreds of neurons in two regions of the monkeys' brains that were involved in movement and sensation.
During experiments, described in a recent issue of the online journal Scientific Reports, as the animals thought about moving toward their goal, in this case, a bowl containing fresh grapes, computers translated their brain activity into real-time operation of a wheelchair.
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