Neurobridge, developed by Ohio State University and Battelle, enabled a paralyzed man to move his hand and fingers with his thoughts.
The device is an electronic neural bypass for spinal cord injuries that reconnects the brain directly to muscles, allowing voluntary and functional control of a paralyzed limb.
The experiment used a chip, implanted in the patient’s brain, that created algorithms to map the signals sent when he concentrated on moving his hand.
When the chip was connected to a computer, the signals were translated into messages sent to a sleeve loaded with electrodes placed around his arm. This stimulated his muscles, allowing him to move his hand by focusing on it.