Brain Implants

Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island, are experimenting with an implantable brain sensor that might allow paralyzed patients to move objects such as robotic arms or computers cursors. The sensor will work by reading the signals transmitted by the brain cells when a patient thinks about moving his/her arms or hands. To do this, researchers will surgically attach a rigid 100-electrode sensor about the size of a pencil eraser tip, to the motor-control region of a patient’s brain. The signals from the brain will be sent through a wire in the skull to a titanium “pedestal” that will transmit the signals to computers. The computers, in turn, will control the cursor or the movement of the robotic arm.