A man who was paralyzed for 13 years can finally have a drink without any assistance. This is due to the installation of a robotic arm which is controlled by his own brain. Erik Sorto, 34, was happy that he was finally able to drink beer with his new arm.
"I joke around with the guys that I want to be able to drink my own beer -- to be able to take a drink at my own pace, when I want to take a sip out of my beer and to not have to ask somebody to give it to me," Sorto said in a press release from the California Institute of Technology.
When he was just 21 years old, Sorto was shot and he was unable to move his arms and legs. After 13 years, a big changed happened in his life after scientists were able to surgically implant a neuro-prosthetic device into his brain cortex responsible in controlling his intent to move, reports Huffington Post.
There were other robotic arms in the past. However, this particular one was developed by the professors at the California Institute of Technology who took a different approach. They were able to implant the neural chips needed to control the arm into the part of the brain called posterior parietal cortex or PPC, reports Engadget.
The PPC plants physical movement rather than doing it that is why it is more engrossed on the intention to move of the person.
Dr. Richard Andersen, a Caltech neuroscience professor, said in a statement, "When you move your arm, you really don't think about which muscles to activate and the details of the movement -- such as lift the arm, extend the arm, grasp the cup, close the hand around the cup, and so on. Instead, you think about the goal of the movement. For example, 'I want to pick up that cup of water."
Hence, people think about the whole movement rather than thinking about its components. Andersen and his coauthors wanted to improve and hasten the adaptability of movements. They were able to record signals from a different brain region, the PPC.
The study, published in the May issue of Science Journal, was made possible through collaboration of Caltech, Keck School of Medicine of USC and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.
After futher improvements, will this mark the end to spinal cord injury-induced paralysis?
