Mind Controled Machine

Mind control over the material world has long been the stuff of science fiction. Now, thanks to a chip implanted in the brain, one paralyzed American sportsman is learning how to reach out and touch once again with the help of a robotic arm powered solely² by brain waves.

Our reporter Li Dong has the details.

 
For former hockey player Tim Hemmes, it's the little things that he misses most. Like reaching out to make a simple high five - or holding his girlfriend's hand.

Now, for the first time in seven years, Tim is able to do both with the help of a robotic arm that is controlled by his mind. That's thanks to the work of a team of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Tim's journey here began in 2004, after a motorcycle accident that broke his neck left him paralyzed.

After more than a year in hospital, Tim was able to go home, but was left completely dependent on others for his most basic needs.

"For me to grab a drink, feed myself, open up a door; that just doesn't happen. I'm fully³ dependent on somebody else."

Building upon a project that first proved successful with monkeys, the team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is studying whether a tiny computer grid⁴ placed on the surface of Tim's brain can help him and other paralyzed patients move and control prosthetic limbs.

The director of the project, Dr. Michael Boninger, explains how the brains of some patients are still able to send out the necessary signals:

"It turns out that in a spinal⁵ cord injury, the brain is still intact in some cases. And what studies have shown, is that those parts of the brain that used to control the arm are still there ready to control it. That's all still there - it's really the connection that's lost."

Dr. Boninger says the brain signals that control movement are picked up by a series of tiny electrodes on the implant¹. The signals are then transmitted to a computer that controls the robotic limb:

"You have someone whose got signals in their brain, they're able to imagine moving their arm, and their brain then, the cells in their brain fire. We record the electrical activity with this grid, we then take that electrical activity and we have to do some decoding⁶, we have to figure out what it means. And then we use those same signals then to control another device."

First, Tim learned how to control a computer cursor, and then, the robotic arm. He is still in awe⁷ of his newfound or rediscovered ability to do things that were once impossible:

"It's a real piece of metal that you're moving with your brain. To be able to do that and to see it and for it to react to what you're thinking about - is absolutely amazing to me."

So far, this is just a study. Controls by the FDA only allow the computer grid to remain on the brain for 30 days.

Although Tim is no longer able to continue with the trials, Tim believes researchers in this area are onto something big.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.

1 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

2 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 decoding   

n.译码，解码v.译（码），解（码）( decode的现在分词 )；分析及译解电子信号

参考例句：

• We cannot add any other memory to this system without further decoding. 如果不增加译码，就不能使系统的存贮容量有任何扩展。 来自辞典例句
• Examples using the 8250 will be presented in hardware section to clarify full-decoding schemes. 在硬件一节中有应用说明全译码方案8250的例子。 来自辞典例句

7 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。