Devices

Two people with long-standing tetraplegia used signals from a 96-channel microelectrode array in motor cortex to direct a robotic arm in three-dimensional reach and grasp, including drinking coffee from a bottle. Nature, 16 May 2012.

Device — Intracortical

Neurally controlled robotic arm, reach and grasp (2012)

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robotic arm · reach and grasp · 96-channel array · motor cortex · tetraplegia · academic · human

Neurally controlled robotic arm, reach and grasp (2012)

One-line verdict: The step from moving a cursor to moving a physical arm in space, done with a small sample of motor cortex neurons and years after injury.

Quick tags: Recording · Intracortical · Human · Nature, 16 May 2012

Overview

What it is: A neural interface system in which two people with long-standing tetraplegia controlled a robotic arm to perform three-dimensional reach and grasp movements. The paper’s title is “Reach and grasp by people with tetraplegia using a neurally controlled robotic arm.”

Signal source: A small, local population of motor cortex (MI) neurons recorded from a 96-channel microelectrode array. Participants controlled the arm and hand over a broad space without explicit training.

Highlight: One participant, implanted with the sensor 5 years earlier, used a robotic arm to drink coffee from a bottle.

Limits stated by the authors: The robotic reach and grasp actions were not as fast or accurate as those of an able-bodied person. The result demonstrates feasibility of recreating useful multidimensional control of complex devices from a small sample of neural signals, years after injury.

Earlier work: The authors say they previously showed that people with long-standing tetraplegia can use a neural interface system to move and click a computer cursor and to control physical devices, and note that able-bodied monkeys had used one to control a robotic arm. The BrainGate 2006 pilot entry covers an earlier 96-microelectrode human study.

Spec Card Grid

Identity

  • Paper: “Reach and grasp by people with tetraplegia using a neurally controlled robotic arm,” Nature, 16 May 2012
  • Participants: two people with long-standing tetraplegia

Architecture

  • Sensor: 96-channel microelectrode array, motor cortex (MI)
  • Output: robotic arm and hand, three-dimensional reach and grasp

Evidence and limits

  • Not covered here: array dimensions, the robotic arm model and success rates; no 3D model yet

References