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What is Brain-Machine Interface?
It is a collaboration in which a brain accepts and controls a mechanical device as a natural part of its representation of the body
—By reading signals from an array of neurons and using computer chips and programs to translate the signals into action, scientists hope it will be possible for a person suffering from paralysis to control a motorized wheelchair or a prosthetic limb by just thinking about it
What are the challenges in developing BMI?
-:Development of electrode devices and surgical methods that are minimally invasive
— Scientists are now working on developing a telemetry chip to collect and transmit data through the skull without any external sockets or cables
—It is expected that in the future, BMI devices will be as common as pacemakers which work involuntarily
Current …Development
—Researchers at University of Pittsburgh have already demonstrated that a monkey can feed itself with a robotic arm simply by using signals from its brain
—A 25 year old quadpriplegic (total paralysis from the neck down) has successfully been able to switch on lights, adjust the volume on a TV, change channels and read e-mail using only his brain while carrying on a conversation and moving his head at the same time
