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Chinese scientists claim to have designed a brain implant that allows a monkey to control a robotic arm using only its mind.
Researchers from Nankai University shared the announcement on May 5, touting it as a breakthrough that will improve the lives of people with disabilities.
The brain computer converts electroencephalogram (EEG) signals into the animal’s control instructions to navigate the machine with food attached.
The research has not been peer reviewed and the claims – which cannot be independently verified – are only available in a statement on the university’s website.
“The trial was led by the team of Professor Duan Feng of Nankai University and was conducted jointly with the General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (301 Hospital) and Shanghai Xinwei Medical Technology Co., Ltd.” announcement is reading.
‘This experiment is a further result obtained on the basis of the earlier interventional brain-computer interface animal (sheep) experiment. EEG signal recognition and other core technologies.’
The university shared a photo of the team performing surgery on the monkey when it received the brain implant.
The sedated monkey lies on a table where doctors see a screen showing the procedure.
“The interventional brain-computer interface developed by Professor Duan Feng’s team through interventional surgery fixes the interventional EEG sensor to the wall of cerebral vessels of monkeys and can collect intracranial EEG signals without craniotomy,” the researchers shared. the announcement.
“Type and Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interface Considering Safety and Recognition Stability.”
The interventional EEG sensor passes through the jugular vein, enters the sagittal sinus and reaches the brain region of the motor cortex.
After surgery, the EEG signals were successfully collected and recognized, allowing the animals to gain active control over the robotic arm.
“The results of the interventional brain-computer interface experiment performed in the brains of non-human primates have furthered and will help advance the advancement of the interventional brain-computer interface from prospective laboratory research to clinical application,” said Professor Duan Feng. .
“The industrial improvement of medical enterprises, through the combination of medicine and industry to create a national brand of high-quality medical equipment, will bring broad market prospects in the field of brain disease medical rehabilitation in the future.”
While researchers haven’t yet published a full study, other companies have already tested their implants in humans — and provided evidence that they work.
Inner Cosmos announced in January its “digital pill” aimed at curing depression, which is now embedded in the skull of its first human patient.
The device contains an electrode that sits under the skin of the scalp and the ‘prescription pod’ that clips onto the user’s hair to power the device.
The implant sends small electrical pulses once a day for 15 minutes to the depression-affected brain region – the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Synchron began human trials in July of its brain implant, which allows the wearer to control a computer with thoughts alone.
The company’s Stentrode brain implant, about the size of a paper clip, will be implanted in six patients in New York and Pittsburgh with severe paralysis.
With Stentrode, patients can control digital devices by thinking and perform everyday tasks, including texting, emailing and shopping online.
Then there’s Elon Musk’s Neuralink, surrounded by controversy due to activists claiming the company has violated animal rights.
In March, Neuralink’s request to test its chip on humans was rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The agency outlined dozens of issues the company needs to address before human testing, a critical milestone for final product approval, Neuralink employees told Reuters.
Concerns include the device’s lithium battery; the potential for the implant’s tiny wires to migrate to other parts of the brain; and asking if and how the device can be removed without damaging brain tissue, the employees said.
Musk applied in early 2022, but staffers said the company’s co-founder hasn’t solved all the issues yet — even though the billionaire revealed that human trials would begin six months ago in November.
The company has come under fire in recent months as animal advocacy groups and former employees raise the alarm about animal welfare violations.
Lab notes from staffers who conducted experiments at the University of California Davis (UC Davis) show animal problems with the implants, echoing FDA concerns.
The FDA’s rejection listed dozens of what the agency calls “shortcomings” the company must address before human trials, five Neuralink sources said.