A group of scientists at the California Institute of Technology have made it possible for paraplegic Erik Sorto to pick up drinks thanks to a new robotic arm and several chips implanted in his brain.
The 34-year-old lost the ability to move his arms or legs over a decade ago due to a gunshot would that paralyzed him from the neck down, ABC News reported.
"I want to be able to drink my own beer - to be able to take a drink at my own pace, when I want to take a sip out of my beer, and to not have to ask somebody to give it to me," Sorto said in a statement to Caltech. He also mentioned how he missed being able to do things on his own, according to The Verge.
Sorto being able to grab and drink a pint of beer on his own is a major step forward in the field of brain science. In Sorto's case, the scientists shifted their focus to the posterior parietal cortex, where movements are planned instead of being controlled. Information from the chip in the posterior parietal cortex is communicated to the robot arm's computer, which then understands the intention and works out how to pick up an object, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Richard Andersen, a neuroscientist at Caltech and senior author of the study, and his fellow scientists have used brain implants on two other patients in the effort to study and analyse the technique further, hoping to create touch feedback and using the information to make improvements to the device.
Other examples of brain science technology making life easier for paraplegics include paralyzed man Matthew Nagle moving the cursor on a computer screen using his brain in 2006, The Verge reported.
The application of this technology in daily routines such as moving objects, shaving, brushing teeth etc is not going to happen anytime soon. But, for patients like Sorto, being able to drink his own beer isn't the only benefit he received. He said that he now has a sense of purpose thanks to the study.
"As much as the project needed me, I needed the project," Sorto added further. "It gives me great pleasure to be part of the solution for improving paralyzed patients' lives."
Take a look at Andersen explain how the technology works in the video below.
