Paralyzed People Successfully Test Brain-Controlled Electric Wheelchairs

Several people with a severe form of paralysis that prevents them from moving any of their limbs have successfully operated a brain-controlled wheelchair, according to a new study published in the journal iScience.

A form of paralysis that affects all four limbs comes from an injury to the spine. The advent of brain-controlled wheelchairs in recent years has been a huge breakthrough, but still requires brain- computer implants. The methods use clumsy workarounds, like staring at a flashing light, to operate.

One of the first of its kind that did not involve able bodied subjects has been developed by the researchers, who say they have developed a method that only requires a cap.

Abbey Sawyer, a researcher at the Abilities Research Center in New York who was not involved in the study, told US News of the work's success. This is one of the first and probably the most successful of the many non-invagant approaches that are entering the safety and feasibility stages of human trials.

The researcher's method uses a cap to amplify electrical signals from the brain and then uses software to translate them into commands.

José del R. Milln is a computer engineering and neurology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The rider can tell the horse to move. The horse will have to figure out the best way to do those commands.

Two of the three patients were able to move their wheelchairs with 95 to 98% accuracy by the end of the study. It was difficult to get there. The patients had to be trained to visualize the wheelchair's movement as they moved their own limbs.

The increase in accuracy was attributed to improvements in the artificial intelligence and the thoughts of the person controlling the wheelchair, as well as an interesting change in brain activity over time. Those that want to learn how to use such a device are in a good position.

According to Milln, the main point of the paper is that if we train people sufficiently long, they can achieve a certain level of control.

Milln cautions that there isn't a magic bullet. While two of the patients excelled, the third did not show much improvement.

Milln said that the same intervention given to two people wouldn't have the same effect.

It's hard to overstate the immensity of Milln and his team's achievements that pave the way to help paralyzed people move on their own.

Nine people with paralysis are able to walk again thanks to an implant.