Brain Gate Technology
BrainGate is a brain implant system developed
by the bio-tech company Cyberkinetics in 2003 in conjunction with the
Department of Neuroscience at Brown
University. The device
was designed to help those who have lost control of their limbs, or other
bodily functions, such as patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or
spinal cord injury. The computer chip, which is implanted into the brain ,
monitors brain activity in the patient and converts the intention of the user
into computer commands. Cyberkinetics describes that "such applications
may include novel communications interfaces for motor impaired patients, as
well as the monitoring and treatment of certain diseases which manifest
themselves in patterns of brain activity, such as epilepsy and
depression."
Currently the chip uses 100 hair-thin electrodes that sense the
electro-magnetic signature of neurons firing in specific areas of the brain,
for example, the area that controls arm movement. The activities are translated
into electrically charged signals and are then sent and decoded using a
program, which can move either a robotic arm or a computer cursor. According to
the Cyberkinetics' website, three patients have been implanted with the
BrainGate system. The company has confirmed that one patient ( Matt Nagle ) has
a spinal cord injury, while another has advanced ALS.
You can download full Brain Gate seminar abstract from here.
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