Jianhui and the controlled robotic limb (via Zhejiang University)
Animals are capable of much. Learning sign language or aiding with search and rescue immediately come to mind. One such test animal, the monkey Jianhui, is now adept at learning how to control robotics with their minds. Zheng Xiaoxiang and his team of researchers from Zhejiang University in Zijingang China were able to identify and decode the electrical signals in the area of the monkey’s brain used for hand movement. The researchers then surgically implanted two microchips, which are connected to over 200 neurons inside Jianhui’s brain, that interface with an external computer for deciphering the brain signals. The signals are then sent to an advanced robotic hand, which was developed by STMicroelectronics and the Bio-robotics Institute Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, to mimic the monkey’s hand movements such as grabbing, pinching and holding. While animal rights activists may not agree with what Zheng Xiaoxiang and his team has done, the ‘Brain-Machine Interface’ does have practical implications such as enabling people with prosthetic limbs a more natural way of controlling them.
Jianhui is not the first to control a robot arm was controlled with thought. A similar system was already built and tested on a human subject with much success. However, that subject volunteered for the procedure, the monkey did not. It is a shame that animals get such a raw deal in science.
Cabe
