Using thoughts alone, a paralyzed man flies a virtual drone with remarkable precision

It sounds like a simple video game, but an innovative new system may one day restore physical control to the lives of people with paralysis.

Neurosurgeons from Stanford and Brown implanted microelectrodes in the brain of a paralyzed research participant, and connected him to a computer to enable transmission of electrical signals. Through tiny electrodes, the test subject was able to fly a virtual drone through a video game-like obstacle course using only his thoughts. Completion as detailed on January 20th He studies Published in the magazine Natural medicineIt holds important implications for enabling people with paralysis to enjoy activities to which they were previously inaccessible, and perhaps one day regain independent movement.

“We have developed a high-performance finger-based computer interface system, allowing continuous control of three independent (virtual) finger sets that can be controlled by the thumb in two dimensions, resulting in a total of four degrees of freedom.” The researchers wrote in the study. Although scientists have used brain and computer technology for more than a decade to help people with paralysis, it has historically faced challenges in replicating complex movements, such as finger movements, according to a recent study. nature statement.

The study participant is a 69-year-old right-handed man who suffered a spinal cord injury that left him with quadriplegia, a severe form of paralysis that affects most of the body. As detailed in the new paper, tiny electrodes were implanted in the left frontal gyrus, the part of the brain that controls hand movement. The neurosurgeons asked participants to watch virtual hand movements, then used artificial intelligence to determine the electrical brain activity associated with specific finger movements.

This association then allowed the AI ​​system to predict the desired finger movements, even though the participant could not move their fingers. Thus, the brain-computer interface enabled him to control virtual hand movements using his thoughts. The virtual hand is divided into three parts, which he can move vertically and horizontally, sometimes simultaneously: the thumb, index and middle finger, and the ring and pinky.

“This is a greater degree of functionality than anything previously based on finger movements,” Stanford University’s Matthew Wilsey, who led the study and is also an assistant professor at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor, said in a Stanford article. statement. Through practice, the participant was able to use this brain-computer interface to control the movement and speed of a virtual drone on a simulated obstacle course, similar to how non-paralyzed people use game controllers to play video games.

Wilsey added that the interface “takes signals generated in the motor cortex (in the brain) that simply occur when the participant tries to move their fingers and uses an artificial neural network to interpret intentions to control the virtual fingers in the simulation.” . “Then we send a signal to control a virtual quadcopter (drone).”

Donald T. said: Avancino of Stanford University, who also participated in the study, said that “the quadcopter simulation was not an arbitrary choice,” as “the research participant had a passion for flying.” “While also catering to the participant’s desire to fly, the platform also offered multi-finger control.”

Microelectrodes in the participant’s brain are physically connected to a computer. Less invasive methods, including electroencephalography (EEG, a painless technique that measures the brain’s electrical activity without the need for surgery), have previously enabled paralyzed patients to play video games. However, the researchers suggest that fine motor control is best achieved by working closely with neurons, according to a UM statement. In fact, they noted in the study that their brain-computer interface enabled the participant to control the drone with six times greater precision than that of a drone. Similar previous study Which uses EEG.

While the ability to play a video game enables patients with paralysis to socialize with others and participate in recreational activities, precise control and dexterity have greater potential.

“Being able to move multiple virtual fingers with brain control, you can have multi-agent control schemes for all kinds of things,” explained Jamie Henderson of Stanford University, who was also involved in the study. “This can mean anything, from running a CAD program to composing music.” In other words, this technology can enable patients to engage in broader activities and even jobs that were previously impossible for them.

while star warsCharacters use the Force to control objects remotely, and scientists take advantage of technological advances to help paralyzed patients regain control of their lives.