Author: Michelle Mao The power of telekinesis has always fascinated humankind. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could move objects using just your thoughts? Imagine concentrating hard enough on a TV remote, envision it flying towards you, and your lazing wishes are fulfilled. For Ian Burkhart, paralyzed approximately shoulders down, telekinesis of his own body became a reality through neural bypass technology that allows him to control his once immobilized arm again employing only his thoughts. At nineteen years old, Ian Burkhart crashed into a sandbar from an ocean wave and broke his neck. His brain still produces the same functioning nerve impulses, but the signals are blocked from the fifth cervical vertebrae down, preventing any brain instructions from reaching beyond his shoulder and upper arms. This injury rendered Burkhart as quadriplegic, meaning that he is unable to move and sense below his upper limbs and torso. Paralysis comes with major inconveniences. As Burkhart describes, “For me, being in a wheelchair and not being able to walk isn’t the biggest thing. It’s the lack of independence I have, because I have to rely on other people for so many things.” Ecstatic to see how technology can help him, Burkhart volunteered to be a test subject for the neural bypass system. Essentially, the neural bypass system acts as an external nervous system that translates his brain signals to his forearm whenever Burkhart visualizes an arm movement. Despite the seemingly simple explanation, the entire process is quite complicated. Burkhart’s brain signals are detected using a brain implant, composed of 96 electrodes that record the electric impulses formed when a certain arm action is visualized. However, the sheer amount of info generated (activity is detected 30,000 times per second) is difficult for computers to sort through and figure out a pattern to how Burkhart’s brain signals correspond to which arm movements he visualized. Moreover, since his brain produces 1 gigabyte of data every three minutes, a huge cable must be attached to Burkhart’s skull to transfer the data as wifi or bluetooth signals do not have that capacity. Imagine something that looks like a power cord plugged into the top of your head. Not comfy. Burkhart confirms, “At first I would get headaches, and if I happened to bump the pedestal, that would really hurt.” After the algorithm decodes what type of arm movement Burkhart intended, electrical pulses are delivered through a skin level electronic sleeve containing 130 electrodes worn on his forearm, prompting Burkhart’s arm muscles to move. After fifteen weeks of testing, Burkhart can instantaneously pick up a bottle and even play Guitar Hero once again. Of course this technology is still in its testing stages. So far, the neural bypass system is not compatible with patients with continuously contracted muscles. However, Chad Bouton, a researcher working on the neural bypass system, hopes that, in the future, this technology can be utilized conveniently at home for all patients who suffer from paralysis. |
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