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Paralysed man moves all four of his paralysed limbs using mind-reading exoskeleton

4 min read

Inspiring People
Source: Clinatec.fr

A quadraplegic man has been able to move all four of his paralysed limbs using a groundbreaking mind-controlled robotic exoskeleton, researchers in France announced.

Quadriplegic says first steps in robotic suit felt like being “the first man on the Moon”

A quadriplegic man has been able to move all four of his paralysed limbs using a groundbreaking mind-controlled exoskeleton, French scientists have said. The 30-year-old, known only as Thibault, said his first steps in the robotic suit felt like being “the first man on the Moon”. The system, which works by recording and decoding brain signals, was trialled in a two-year study by researchers at biomedical research centre Clinatec and the University of Grenoble.

Thibault, 30, said taking his first steps in the suit felt like being the “first man on the Moon” “It was like [being the] first man on the Moon. I didn’t walk for two years. I forgot what it is to stand, I forgot I was taller than a lot of people in the room,” reported the BBC. While his movements, particularly walking, are far from perfect and the robo-suit is being used only in the lab, researchers are confident the approach could one day improve patients’ quality of life. Source: Clinatec.fr

Quadriplegic Man Uses Exoskeleton to Walk and Move Arms Again

French scientists have tested a new solution that proved capable of helping a quadriplegic man walk again, with control over all four mechanical limbs. — reported ExtremeTech

The work conducted at the Clinatec research center in Grenoble, France, initially focused on two patients, however one dropped out of the study due to a technical issue with the implants in question. The remaining individual, known only as Thibault, had a C4-C5 spinal cord injury and suffered from quadriplegia/tetraplegia as a result. Two implants with 64 electrodes each were implanted in the upper limb sensory-motor areas of his brain.

Epidural electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals were processed by a decoding algorithm and relayed to the artificial muscles of the exoskeleton to allow them to respond to the man’s thoughts. 

Controlling the arms was apparently significantly more difficult than the legs, and the 65kg robot obviously doesn’t completely restore function. 

Currently, the system only uses 32 electrodes on each 64-electrode chip, because they only have a 350-millisecond window to receive signals, decode those signals, and send the proper movement impulses back to the exoskeleton for moving. 

The system as it exists today doesn’t yet allow for fully autonomous movement — Thibault is attached to the frame in a ceiling-mounted rig for additional security and safety. But this only makes sense when dealing with a quadriplegic patient with no ability to brace or protect themselves should the rig fall.

The trials the team conducted weren’t completely successful, but Thibault can perform trials that require him to touch a specific target by moving his arm and rotating his wrist 71% of the time. 

The research team has plans to continue developing the interface, with a long-term goal of using the other 64 electrodes in the implant and using AI to predict muscle movements more quickly. 

The next step is to develop finger controls so that Thibault can lift and manipulate objects, and he has also used the interface to control a wheelchair.

Details of the exoskeleton and research have been published in The Lancet.

Source: ExtremeTech

These covered the areas of the brain that control movement. The ElectroCorticoGrams recorded are decoded in real time to predict the deliberate movement imagined by the subject and then, for example, control the corresponding limb of an exoskeleton.
The patient had surgery to place two implants on the surface of the brain. These covered the areas of the brain that control movement. The ElectroCorticoGrams recorded are decoded in real time to predict the deliberate movement imagined by the subject and then, for example, control the corresponding limb of an exoskeleton. Source: Clinatec.fr
Decoding ElectroCorticoGrams required the development of highly-sophisticated algorithms able to process massive volumes of data, in real time, and ensure a good response in driving the exoskeleton.
Sixty-four electrodes on each implant read the brain activity and beam the instructions to a nearby computer. Decoding ElectroCorticoGrams required the development of highly-sophisticated algorithms able to process massive volumes of data, in real time, and ensure a good response in driving the exoskeleton. Source: Clinatec.fr
In real time they are relayed to the artificial muscles of the exoskeleton to allow them to respond to the man’s thoughts.
Epidural electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals were processed by a decoding algorithm. In real time they are relayed to the artificial muscles of the exoskeleton to allow them to respond to the man’s thoughts. Source: Clinatec.fr
Two implants with 64 electrodes each were implanted in the upper limb sensory-motor areas of his brain.
Thibault, had a C4-C5 spinal cord injury and suffered from quadriplegia/tetraplegia as a result. Two implants with 64 electrodes each were implanted in the upper limb sensory-motor areas of his brain. Source: Clinatec.fr
Currently, the system only uses 32 electrodes on each 64-electrode chip, because they only have a 350-millisecond window to receive signals, decode those signals, and send the proper movement impulses back to the exoskeleton for moving.
Controlling the arms was apparently significantly more difficult than the legs, and the 65kg robot obviously doesn’t completely restore function. Currently, the system only uses 32 electrodes on each 64-electrode chip, because they only have a 350-millisecond window to receive signals, decode those signals, and send the proper movement impulses back to the exoskeleton for moving. Source: Clinatec.fr
Thibault is attached to the frame in a ceiling-mounted rig for additional security and safety. But this only makes sense when dealing with a quadriplegic patient with no ability to brace or protect himself if the rig should fall.
The system as it exists today doesn’t yet allow for fully autonomous movement. Thibault is attached to the frame in a ceiling-mounted rig for additional security and safety. But this only makes sense when dealing with a quadriplegic patient with no ability to brace or protect himself if the rig should fall. Source: Clinatec.fr
Exoskeleton Controlled by a Brain-Machine Interface Brain implants allow a tetraplegic patient to control a whole-body exoskeleton with brain signals in a proof-of-concept demonstration published in The Lancet Neurology. The patient uses two wireless chronically implanted brain-computer interfaces to control virtual and physical machines. While the early results are promising, the system is a long way from clinical application or being widely available. Source: YouTube/TheLancet
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