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Brain-Machine Interface Technology Improvement

A recent Scientific American article, The Intention Machine, discusses incremental advances in brain-machine interface (BMI) technology. [scientificamerican.com] BMI technology uses electrode arrays to send and receive information to and from a brain. In medical practice, BMI are used to allow people with paralyzing injuries to communicate with machines. This allows paralyzed people to perform tasks such as entering information into a computer, moving a robotic hand or to fly jet aircraft by communicating directly with a computer that controls the aircraft. BMI performance has generally been sluggish and imprecise for individuals trying to manipulate physical objects.

The improvement described here is locating the BMI electrode arrays in areas of the brain that form intentions to make physical movements. What is also improving is the capacity of software to read brain signals and interpret intentions in a brain as it develops an intention to do something. The current generation of electrodes measure 4 x 4 millimeters and have 100 electrodes 1.5 mm long that are implanted into brain tissue. The electrode array looks like a bed of nails. About 100 to 200 neurons are recorded and signals can be sent back to those neurons as desired.

Algorithms are used to decipher the patterns of firings of the neurons to discern when the brain is forming an intention to do something. To date about 180 areas of brain cortex have been identified that are involved in forming intentions. These locations process sensory information, communicate to other brain regions involved with cognition, make decisions or send commands to initiate movement.

Progress in this area is very slow. It took one paralyzed patient about a year to teach the algorithm to direct a robotic arm to pick up a cup and move it to the patient's mouth so he could drink on his own. It will be years before the limits of what BMI technology can do is known.

It seems plausible to think that this can go very far. Although progress is slow, it was intuitive to use the brain’s intention signals to control the robotic arm. The article comments: “By imagining different actions, Sorto [the paralyzed patient] could watch recordings of individual neurons from his cortex and turn them on and off at will.” The fact that humans can consciously control a neuron in their own brain suggests there likely will be very interesting discoveries about how the brain works.

Germaine 6 Mar 29
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@Daryl Upon closer reading, I realize I misunderstood the technology. I was thinking it was along the lines of mind control but no, this is wonderful for people who have lost control of their lambs. My bad

I could imagine the tech hooked up but the controls run by another or agency. In that case , scary.

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