Research news: Monkeys control prosthesis with mind

The News:
Monkeys control prosthesis with mind
Macaques move a mechanical arm with thought in a new study, adopting it as their own.
By Benedict CareyThe New York Times
Article Last Updated: 05/29/2008 12:22:36 AM MDT

A monkey uses a mechanical arm to remove a marshmallow from a skewer that a researcher holds and bring the treat to its mouth in these undated handout images. The new study suggests that brain-controlled prostheses, while not practical, are at least technically within reach.
Two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains have learned to control a mechanical arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach for and grab food and even to adjust for the size and stickiness of morsels when necessary, scientists reported Wednesday.
The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the most striking demonstration to date of brain-machine interface technology.
Scientists expect that technology will eventually allow people with spinal-cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions to gain more control over their lives.
The findings suggest that brain-controlled prosthetics, while not practical, are at least technically within reach.
In previous studies, researchers showed that humans who had been paralyzed for years could learn to control a cursor on a computer screen with their brain waves and that nonhuman primates could use their thoughts to move a mechanical arm, a robotic hand, a robot on a treadmill or a small vehicle.
The new experiment goes a step further. In it, the monkeys' brains seem to have adopted the mechanical appendage as their own, refining its movement as it interacted with real objects in real time. The monkeys had their own arms gently restrained while they learned to use the added one. Read on...

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Nature.