“Could help people with paralysis: Neuralink wants to test control of a robotic arm using thought Neuralink has announced the start of research on the N1 implant to control a robotic arm using thoughts. The project will expand the possibilities of a neurocomputer interface for people with paralysis.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
“We are pleased to announce the approval and launch of a new feasibility study to extend BCI control with an N1 implant to an investigational assistive robotic arm,” Neuralink said in a post on Mask X’s social media platform.
A BCI, or neurocomputer interface, is a system that allows a person to directly control external devices using brain waves. It works by reading and decoding anticipatory movement signals from neurons. The Neuralink BCI involves a coin-sized device called the N1 that is surgically implanted into the brain by a robot. The company is currently evaluating the safety of its BCI, as well as its ability to control a computer in people with paralysis.
On social media earlier this year, Neuralink demonstrated that its BCI could be used to control a computer cursor. In a video on X, research participant Noland Arbo demonstrated using the Neuralink device to play chess and other games on a computer.
The new robotic arm study, according to a Neuralink post on X, “will allow for cross-enrollment of participants from the ongoing PRIME study.”
Brian Dekleva, a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, says the biggest challenge in achieving BCI control of an assistive robotic arm is the need for calibration. “The more complex the control, the more degrees of freedom you add, the longer it takes to calibrate,” he says. “People don’t want to sit and do a half-hour calibration at the beginning of each day so they can use their device.”
If this limitation can be overcome, BCIs that control robots will allow people with paralysis to perform simple daily tasks without assistance, the publication notes.
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