A research team of neurologists are conducting a research according to which a neurochip implanted in the skull transmits the brain activity (“thoughts”) by way of wireless radiofrequency signals to a small, battery-powered computer attached to a wheelchair.
The leader of the research is Greek-origin Miguel Nicolelis, neurologist in Duke University of USA who suggests that the possibility of transmitting the instructions without direct wiring between the brain and a robotic or prosthetic device costitutes a truly revolutionary advance for paralyzed patients.
The successful experiment that started with wiring the brains of macaque monkeys to a computer that tracked the monkey’s brain activity as it moved a joystick to a target, belongs to researchers from America, Brazil, and Switzerland of a collective research, called Walk Again.
The computer is connected to a robotic arm which mimicks the monkey’s activity. As the monkeys manipulate the joystick, the wiring from the brain identifies the brain patterns the monkeys are using. When researchers disable the joystick, the monkeys find they can control the robotic arm merely by “thinking” about it. Their brain activity is translated into instructions which direct the robot.
As far as humans’ neuroprosthesis is concerned, implanted neurochip in the skull can transmit thoughts by way of wireless radiofrequency signals.As the patient thinks about the action desired, such as reaching for and grasping an object, these signals are then sent, again wirelessly, to another microchip imbedded in the patient’s arm. The signals “instruct” the muscles in the arm to move so as to complete the activity.
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