Thought-controlled wheelchairs and bionics that "feel"

Innovations in the advent of controlling machines via brain signals has lead to new medical devices for those disabled by injury or even paralyzed. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland is already leading the forefront of this field with their development of a wheelchair that can be controlled with one's brain. The user is fitted with a helmet filled with electrodes and connected to a computer. Their thoughts are recorded by electroencephalography which, in turn, sends these specific brain patterns to a computer to move the chair. Personally, this doesn't seem too farfetched in medical engineering. The technology to control a computer interface with one's thoughts has existed for some time now. National Instruments demonstrates this technology by allowing participants to play Mario Bros on the NES with their eyes. A few electrodes are attached around the eyes to detect eye movement by voltage changes between horizontal and vertical pairs. These are then linked to various NI Labview Softwares which mimic the NES controller with digital lines to communicate with the NES. The ability to control machines with one's mind is very real and has great potential for medical implications. The wheelchair is controlled by both by thought and artificial intelligence. When the user thinks left/right/forward the chair will move in that direction. The chair is fastened with several cameras to detect obstructions and help avoid collisions.

Advances in prosthesis has lead to the ability of artificial limbs to be controlled by nerve signals. Through Targeted Muscle Reinnervation surgery (TMR), nerves are repositioned in order to generate signals to sensors on the surface of the skin, ultimately driving the prosthetic. The latest innovation in bionic limbs may be the ability to feel. After amputation and TMR, patients are still able to feel their missing limb when their "reinnervated" skin is touched. This leads professionals to speculate building prosthetics equiped with force sensors and pattern recognition. With the emerging technology advancing as fast as it is, some suggest we may eventually see bionic hands with controllable fingers. Bionics are progressing at such a pace to where patients are now preferring bionic limbs to their own flesh and bone. Elective amputation allows patients to fitted for prosthetics that allow more functionality than their dysfunctional counterpart. Bionic hands allow the user to not only grasp and lift objects, but also rotate their wrists. The amount of opportunities this technology offers is groundbreaking. If anything speaks of the value of these devices, it's the fact that people are voluntarily amputating their limbs to be fitted for them. The emerging technologies and innovations provide a promising outlook for the future of the industry and well-being of patients around the world.

sources:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12490048
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/neuroprosthetics-the-mind-is-the-pilot/