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Cyborg technology from capital region sees further development
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Imagine being able to control an object just by thinking about it. Such cyborg-esque technology was recently developed by the Department of Health's Wadsworth Center laboratories in Albany, NY and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Devised to enable those who are paralyzed or have motor impairments, this application of Brain Computer Interface Technology (BCI) offers a rudimentary way to link a mind with a computer via a wireless connection. The computer could then control a mechanical, electric or digital system!
The actual device design has been adapted from electrocorticography (EcoG) technology used to monitor epilepsy. Typical methods for observing the electrical activity within the brain have included electroencephalography (EEG), which monitors brain-waves emanating from the head, and implanting electrodes directly into the brain. With EcoG, a grid of sensors is placed under the skull, on top of the brain. This technique provides a more precise analysis of brain activity than an EEG and is less invasive than electrodes implanted into the brain. Using EcoG techniques to monitor brain activity differs from it's application with seizure analysis in that BCI chips are much smaller.
The actual device works as follows: After the sensors have been implanted within the skull, patients are asked to think about doing various tasks, such as moving their hand. Once a computer has recorded the brain activity associated with each task it can then translate those readings into action. So if a person thinks about moving forward, the computer can direct a wheelchair to move ahead.
The system is quite adept with 2 dimensional operations, such as controlling a computer mouse, but further development is needed for control of a 3 dimensional system such as a prosthetic arm.
The technology has subsequently been licensed to Neurolutions for development and commercialization. Additional areas of ongoing research include shrinking the entire system to less than ¾ x ¼ in. and solving issues related to operational time length. For instance, while the device is implanted the patient’s immune system begins to seal off the implant by covering it with tissues, which can degrade the signal quality.
Neurolutions wishes to have a working prototype leading to sales within twelve to fifteen months.
