Brain Implant Helps Man Feel Through Robotic Fingers

A paralyzed man is regaining a sense of touch while using a mind controlled robotic hand, feeling subtle pressure in his own fingers when the artificial ones are touched. The experiment reported on 13 October is an early step in the quest to create prosthetics that can feel. How it works: Tiny chips implanted in patient’s brain are bypassing his broken spinal cord, relaying electrical signals that govern movement and sensation to and from the robotic arm. When University of Pittsburgh researchers blindfolded patient, he could correctly identify which robotic finger they touched 84% of the time. Harnessing brain waves to power prosthetics is a hot field, with a goal of giving the disabled more independence and improving artificial limbs for amputees as well. Headlines in recent years have reported experiments that let paralyzed people move a robotic arm to touch a loved one or take a drink simply by imaging the motion. Their thoughts activate brain implants that relay electrical signals needed to command movement. The signals are transmitted through a computer to the robotic limb.