Blackrock Neurotech's MoveAgain System Gains FDA Breakthrough Designation
Physical, NewsBlackrock Neurotech announced FDA breakthrough device designation for its MoveAgain brain-computer interface system. The MoveAgain system is portable and would allow persons with physical disabilities to gain mobility and independence. Read more via MassDevice.com.
M-Enabling Walk2Walk Challenge
Physical, NewsJoin the Global Walk2Walk Challenge! Launched at the 2021 M-Enabling Summit, the Walk2Walk Challenge is an international set of events building a community of individuals helping those with paralysis walk using innovative walking technologies. Sandy Hanebrink, an exoskeleton user and NeuroAbilities Advisory Council member, demonstrated how access to cutting-edge exoskeleton technology creates impact in the daily lives of persons with disabilities as she stood up from her wheelchair in front of audiences at the in-person M-Enabling Summit. Individuals can register as an individual or as a team to log steps and miles. Registration deadline: 31 Dec 2021. Learn more about the Walk2Walk campaign.
University Researchers Develop Bionic Arm to Enable Greater Physical Control
Physical, NewsResearchers have engineered a bionic arm for upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function like a person without an amputation, according to new findings. The bionic system combines three important functions - intuitive motor control, touch and grip kinesthesia, the intuitive feeling of opening and closing the hand. The Cleveland Clinic-led international research team developed the bionic system. Collaborators included University of Alberta and University of New Brunswick. Read more via Science Daily.
Caring Full Time for a Partner with Paralysis: User Stories from The Washington Post
Physical, NewsAs part of NeuroAbilities' efforts to explore user perspectives, this article from The Washington Post outlines the challenges and nuances many families face in navigating care for a person who is paralyzed. Read more via The Washington Post.
Blackrock & B-CRATOS Project Developing Battery-free, Wireless Implants
Physical, NewsBlackrock Microsystems Europe is partnering with Uppsala University, The SiNANO Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, LINKS, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Department of Electronic Systems in creation of the project known as B-CRATOS – “Wireless Brain-Connect inteRfAce TO machineS”. The B-CRATOS project is coordinated by Uppsala University's Prof. Robin Augustine and seeks to restore functionality through advanced, next-generation neuroprostheses. The system will enable those with paralysis to control an advanced robotic limb, enabling millions to regain daily independence. Learn more about the project here.
Dry Electrode EEG from the Real to the Virtual World
Physical, VideoIn this webinar from Wearable Sensing, Walid Soussou introduces audiences to dry electrode EEG wearables, how they work, and applications for the real world and virtual reality. An overview of the headset design and its signal quality is demonstrated through both resting and ambulatory activities. For more on how the dry electrode headsets work and integrate with BCI tools, watch the webinar on-demand on YouTube.
Mobile EEG in Wearable BCI Devices for Persons with Disabilities
Physical, , Communication, , Cognitive, VideoIn this webinar from Wearable Sensing, practical BCI devices are explored using dry electrode EEG headsets. Applications include Alternative and Augmented Communication for persons with speech or communication disabilities, robotic exoskeletons for persons with paralysis, and neurofeedback for persons with cognitive disabilities. Watch on-demand via YouTube.
IpsiHand Breakthrough Device Utilizes Dry EEG Headset from Wearable Sensing
Physical, NewsNeurolutions recently received FDA "breakthrough" status for its IpsiHand device that enables a person who may be paralyzed from stroke to move some parts of their arm and hand. The system features a dry EEG electrode headset from Wearable Sensing, where one of NeuroAbilities' Advisory Council Members, Walid Soussou, leads a team of neuroscientists and engineers in developing wireless headsets for BCI systems. For more on the headset and its applications, check out Wearable Sensing's webinar here. For more on the Ipsihand device, check out the Neurolutions website here.
Researchers Evoke Tactile Feeling Through Brain Implant
Physical, NewsResearchers at Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have successfully stimulated the deep grooves of the primary somatosensory cortex which has allowed a perceived sense of touch to two end users experiencing intractable epilepsy. The research could be applied to restoring a sense of touch to persons experiencing paralysis, spinal cord injury, diabetes mellitus, or neuropathic pain. The deeper and more difficult-to-reach area was stimulated using stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) depth electrodes. Learn more here.
Wireless BCI for Practical Home Use by End Users with Tetraplegia
Physical, Scholarly ArticleIn this article published by researchers at Brown University, the usually cumbersome cables necessary for implanted brain-computer interfaces (BCI) were replaced by wireless transmitters and maintained high-resolution recording and decoding of neural activity from two end users with paralysis. Wireless implanted BCI systems can replace older assistive solutions that formerly would restrict control and usage of the BCI, requiring the end user to be tethered to amplifiers and larger computers. Communication rates from the end users using the wireless BCI vs the cabled BCI were equivalent to such a degree that the wireless BCI would better enable persons with disabilities to become more mobile and independent in their daily lives. Learn more at IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.