This is pretty spectacular. Cathy Hutchinson, who suffers from paralysis that has rendered her arms and legs immobile for the past 15 years, was recently able to drink her morning coffee with ease.
Thanks to Brown University researchers, she was equipped with a mind-controlled robot arm to help her with the task. In cases of paralysis, the pathways between the brain and the limbs are disconnected. In an attempt to bypass those troublesome pathways, they decided to send signals directly from a brain-implanted sensor to the robotic arm.
While the technology is still in its infancy and leaves much room for improvement, the Brown University researchers are already in the process of bettering it. They eventually plan to create a smaller, wireless version that can be produced more inexpensively.
Either way, the research is exciting and is a major breakthrough in allowing people with paralysis to do more day-to-day tasks on their own.
Watch Cathy take a sip of her coffee below:
(Via Geekologie)
