New brain control development could help quadriplegics get around
By Darren Murph 
posted Mar 11th 2008 3:14PM
posted Mar 11th 2008 3:14PM
Sure, we've seen brain power used to give mobility back to the immobile, but a new development in Europe is one-upping current efforts by adding in a hint of artificial intelligence to the tried and true brain-computer interface. The MAIA BCI not only converts signals emitted by the brain into actions -- such moving a wheelchair forward -- it also thinks for itself when needed in order to assist the user in getting where he / she wants to go. Essentially, the individual need only think about going left or forward (for example), and the machine itself will automatically detect obstacles and potential barriers in order to move more efficiently. As it stands, there's still quite a bit of testing to be done before MAIA-based wheelchairs would be available to the public, but researchers are already hoping to integrate said technology into artificial limbs and the like.[Via Physorg]
The age of the mecha may come sooner than many expect.
Dammit, I knew I should have banked on Islam!
How ironic that the woman in the wheelchair has her arms up when the article talks about quadriplegics.
Maybe they're on strings..
Or, that it's an unpowered wheelchair in an open grassy field with no visible obstacles or surface breaks. :-) Maybe it's supposed to represent how it will be for them in some metaphorical sense.
I can't help but think of Captain Christopher Pike in the Star Trek OTS Pilot.
I hope this works!
That picture is much funnier if you rotate it 45° counterclockwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriplegia
"Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis affecting all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function. [...] It is common to have partial use of some limbs, such as the ability to move the arms but not the hands"
But yeah, I think that was just a bad choice of picture...
unfortunately, it does not allow you to fly, contrary to what the woman in that wheelchair might think...
I believe i can fly, i believe i can touch the sky...
Why not just try it on the limbs they already have? Why not just send those electrical impulses to each respective muscle so they can contract or release based on the instructions sent and not bother with a wheelchair at all?
I was thinking the same thing the other day. I have a nearly quadrapalegic friend, and have always thought that there ought to be some way to replace or simulate the signals. I think people would be surprised at how "plastic" the brain is. Just think of how much thought goes in to your fingers as you type; shouldn't there be a way to train your brain to operate some kind of external device. Even if it took a year to learn, like a toddler, I'm sure it'd be worth it to someone who was paralyzed.
Scarecrows need not apply...
If I only had a brain...
bleh, everybody knows that "The Wizard of Oz" is best watched with The Dark Side of the Moon playing in the background...
only if youre on lsd
This is probably a counter productive technology because chair bound people need as much exercise as they can get. [Quadriplegia... not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function.]
What are all these parallelograms doing here?
Thats rhombus to you, buddy...
After all, not everyone wants to feel 'observed'
too bad europe... japan already has the tech for gundams, but they dont want to share it with belgium
It's always nice to hear news like this. :)
The caption to that pic should be "weeeee!"
Has anyone else seen that episode of Red Dwarf where Lister gets a thought controlled artificial arm? Instead of picking up the ball, he keeps punching Kryton in the face - because that is what he wanted to do subconsciously. Do we really want machines that will act on our thoughts? "I wonder what its like to be hit by a bus. Oh ****!"