A breakthrough: paralyzed managed to drive a robotic arm – in the power of thought

The era in which paralyzed will move and rise from the wheelchair increasing: when technology connects directly between the human brain and the machine. A breakthrough scientific development at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) allows a paralyzed person to operate a robotic arm through the thought power only, for the first time stable and prolonged, using advanced artificial intelligence.

The innovative experiment was conducted as part of a study that examined the capabilities of a computer-computer interface system. This system is based on tiny sensors that are implemented on the cortex and are capable of absorbing electrical signals that are created as one imagines different movements. In the experiment, a paralyzed man who lost movement and speech was made following a severe stroke that passed several years ago. The researchers found that despite the physical inability to perform movements, the brain continued to produce clear neural signals when imagining actions, such as moving your fingers, palm or thumb.

Researchers led by Dr. Gowwal CarthashAn expert in neurology and researcher at the Weil Institute of Science at the University of California, have identified that the nerve signals are stable in their general form, but their exact location in the brain changes daily. In previous computer-computer interfaces, these daily changes have caused the system to have lost accuracy after only a day or two. To resolve the problem, an advanced artificial intelligence model is able to learn and adapt to these daily movements, thus preserving stable control over time.

The results were impressive: the paralyzed person managed to operate the robotic arm by imagination only, and was able to hold objects, move and even put them elsewhere, without any external or physical assistance. In the first phase, man practiced a virtual robotic arm on the computer, which received immediate feedback on quality and precision. After a few weeks, the abilities he purchased smoothly passed into the actual robotic arm. Through this arm, he managed to open a closet, to take a glass of it, and even hold a water facility, actions that used to be impossible.

This extraordinary achievement maintained stability over seven consecutive months, with only a short 15 -minute “re -direction” to re -adjust the changes that occurred in the brain. “This unique combination of human brain and artificial intelligence is the next step in the development of computer-computer interfaces,” said Dr. Gangoli.

The University of California’s development joins another progress in the field, which was recently done by the billionaire neurlink company Elon Musk. The technology company, which deals with brain implants, announced a few months ago that it has been able to transplant a tiny chip in the minds of several paralyzed people. Niorink’s chip allowed participants not only to move a mouse cursor on your computer, but also write texts and even tweet on Twitter using thoughts only. Nurlink is currently continuing to recruit volunteers, under the vision of Musk who, in the not too distant future, can rise from the wheelchair and re -win the independence they have lost.