On June 23, Ian Burkhart, paralyzed from the elbows down, moved his fingers with his mind—with the help of a mind-reading microchip implanted in his brain. The microchip technology is called Neurobridge, developed by researchers with medical nonprofit group Battelle and currently in a clinical trial period at Ohio State University.
How was this possible? The technology works by interpreting brain signals, which would normally be the duties of the spinal cord. The microchip, about the size of a contact lens, was surgically embedded into the back of Burkhart’s skull, where it was able to “read” commands from the part of his brain that controls movement. A wire connected the chip to a port, which synced with a cable to carry the information from the brain chip to a computer, where an algorithm decoded Burkhart’s commands. The computer connected to a sleeve of electrodes on Burkhart’s arm, which was designed to move in sequence to stimulate muscle fibers and trigger whatever movements he thought of, allowing him to move his had. Lead surgeon of the project, Dr. Ali Rezai, says his team is now looking into a wireless method for syncing the chip to the computer. Researchers say this is the start of a movement that could change the lives of paralyzed individuals across the world. Keep up to date with the Neurobridge’s new developments here. Read the full story on Mashable here.
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