Stentrode
From the University of Melbourne [@UniMelb]
A group of paralysed patients will soon undergo a revolutionary procedure that could allow them to walk with the power of thought. The key to returning mobility is a tiny, matchstick-sized device called a stentrode. It will be implanted into a blood vessel next to the motor cortex, the brain’s control centre – bypassing the need for complex brain surgery. From there it will pick up brain signals and allow patients to move a robotic exoskeleton attached to their limbs simply by thinking about it. This notion of wirelessly thought-controlled limbs is within reach, thanks to a collaboration of 39 brilliant minds from 16 departments across the University of Melbourne’s medicine, science, veterinary science and engineering faculties.
Professor Terry O’Brien
In 2017, the stent will be implanted into carefully selected paraplegic or quadriplegic patients by surgeons at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The long road to coding will begin at the Austin Hospital’s Spinal Cord Service.
Innovation. Your walking in it…
This [full] article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.
Links
- Moving with the Power of Thought – original article
- Published Paper – Minimally invasive endovascular stent-electrode array for high-fidelity, chronic recordings of cortical neural activity – Nature: Biotechnology
