"Wearable robot" to help people to walk, feel tactile sensations

[shoshin]

Scientist are working toward developing "a full-body exoskeleton-like prosthetic, the interface controlled by neural implants that capture signals from the motor cortex to move legs, hands, fingers and everything else as well as be studded with sensors that relay tactile information about the outside world to the somatosensory cortex." This would allow paralyzed people to move again.

They recently did a study where monkeys were not only able to move a robot hand with their thoughts, but were able to feel sensations based on electrical signals from the hand.

I wonder if this could help people with MS, too, when these problems are in the spinal cord. You could just bypass the cord and send the signals straight to the brain. It would be wonderful to not only be able to move freely again, but to be able to really feel things rather than the dull, muted sensations I'm left with.

More at
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=breakthrough-may-help-spinal-cord-patients-experience-tactie-sensations

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/oct/05/monkeys-mind-control-virtual-arm

sho

[sllowe]

I'm going to these links now!

My BIL was paralyzed after falling out of his tree stand, and I dream alot about seeing him standing. Oh what a happy day that will be!

Thanks, Sho,
-Shell

[shoshin]

Kwarendorf: that's another interesting perspective on the possibilities of machines helping people move. I liked this quote

"What we're saying is that the spinal cord is a conduit for intention. And if we just bypass that conduit and go right from brain intention to the muscles of articulation, right from intention to a prosthetic device or right from intention to a computer, then you don't need a spinal cord. And that transforms humanity."

I just came across a related experiment with a human where a paralyzed man was able to move a prosthetic arm with his thoughts.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/235737.php

Hopefully, they'll make swift progress in this area.

sho

[kwarendorf]

There was a story about this on CBS News Sunday Morning. Looks promising!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/09/sunday/main20117796.shtml?tag=contentBody;cbsCarousel

[HVAC]

Cool!