Millions of people across the globe suffer spinal cord injuries that inhibit their ability to properly use their limbs. In an effort to solve this problem, researchers at Duke University’s Nicolelis lab are experimenting with monkeys to see if they can develop assistive devices that are controlled by a patient’s brain.
“Bimanual movements in our daily activities -- from typing on a keyboard to opening a can -- are critically important,” says Miguel Nicolelis, a professor of neurobiology and founder of the lab. “Future brain-machine interfaces aimed at restoring mobility in humans will have to incorporate multiple limbs to greatly benefit severely paralyzed patients.”
To test whether or not brain signals could be used to control machine interfaces, the lab began training monkeys to articulate virtual limbs within a video simulation. In the early stages of the research monkeys used joysticks to manipulate virtual arms; while with a little a bit of practice they were eventually able to control the virtual limbs through thought alone.
While this development in mind-control is astounding on its own, the big news didn’t stop there. When researchers went back to examine recordings of the monkeys’ brain activity, they noticed “widespread plasticity in cortical areas of their brains.” Essentially, the monkeys had come to believe the virtual arms were part of their bodies, and their brains had accepted the virtual limbs as part of their body image.
If Nicolelis’ group can refine their results further, it could lead to the development of robotic prosthetics that behave as intuitively as natural limbs; a breakthrough that could one day open new doors for those who suffer from traumatic injuries.
Beyond replacing limbs, the study also suggests that a body image can be expanded to accommodate additional limbs. Suggesting that it might be possible to equip anybody with some form of additional robot prosthetic, offering a few extra hands to get the job done.
Image and Video Courtesy of Duke University