A group of Chinese scientists claim to have successfully carried out an experiment that allowed a monkey to move a robotic arm using its brain.
The Nankai University team said the experiment represents a significant advance in brain science and could pave the way for further developments that could help physically disabled people interact with external devices and improve their quality of life.
In a statement released by the university on May 5, the team said it had developed a brain implant that would allow a monkey to control a robotic arm using only the brain’s electrical signals.
During the experiment, the “brain computer” converted the EEG signals into control instructions for the animal to move the robotic arm during food delivery.
The study has not been peer-reviewed, and statements that cannot be independently verified are only available in a statement on the university’s website.
According to the statement, the experiment was carried out by the team of Professor Duan Feng of Nankai University in cooperation with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital (301 Hospital) and Shanghai Shenwei Medical Technology Co., Ltd.
The team explained, “The interventional brain-computer interface developed by Prof. Duan Feng’s team uses interventional surgery to connect an interventional electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor to the monkey brain vessel wall and can collect intracranial EEG signals without craniotomy. part of the skull to access the brain.
The team used a non-invasive method in what has been described as the world’s first interventional trial in non-human primates. The intrusive EEG probe travels through the jugular vein, enters the sagittal sinuses (blood sinuses in the cranial cavity), and reaches the motor cortex.
After placing the sensor, the EEG signals were successfully collected and identified, allowing for active control of the animals in the robotic arm.
According to Professor Duan Feng, the results of the brain-computer intervention experiment conducted in the brains of non-human primates have contributed and will continue to promote the development of the interventional brain-computer interface from advanced laboratory research to clinical applications.”
Source: Daily Mail
