Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have developed a robotic arm system that allows amputees to move their arm using brain signals.
The small, implantable device attaches to the peripheral nerve in a person’s arm, according to the research team in the university’s department of biomedical engineering. When combined with an artificial intelligence computer and a robotic arm, the device is able to read and interpret brain signals to allow upper limb amputees to control their arms using thoughts.
“It’s a lot more intuitive than any commercial system out there,” said Jules Anh Tuan Nguyen, a postdoctoral researcher and University of Minnesota college of science and engineering alumnus. “With other commercial prosthetic systems, when amputees want to move a finger, they don’t actually think about moving a finger. They’re trying to activate the muscles in their arm since that’s what the system reads. Our technology knows the patient’s intention. If they want to move a finger, all they have to do is think about moving that finger.”
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