New Caltech research is showing how devices implanted into people’s brains, called brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), can help predict a person’s internal monologue. The technology could be used to assist those affected with speech to effectively communicate. Read more about BMI predicting internal speech.
Brain-Machine Interface Device Predicts Internal Speech
Brainwave-Reading Implant Helps Paralyzed Man Who Can't Speak Spell Out 1,150 Words
A participant, paralyzed and unable to speak or type, of the Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice trial at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) was able to spell out over 1,000 words using a neuroprosthetic device that translates his brain waves into full sentences. Researchers were able to decode him silently miming the 26 letters of the phonetic alphabet. Read more about Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice trial
Synchron Switch, New Technology Allows Users To Control iPhone, iPad With Brain
A novel brain-computer interface developed by a New York-based company called Synchron was used to help a paralyzed patient send messages using their Apple device. Inserted just into the top of the brain’s motor cortex via blood vessels, the Synchron Switch is the only device that the FDA has approved to undergo clinical trials as a permanently implanted brain-computer interface. Read more about Synchron Switch.
Pediatric Exoskeleton Developed for Children with Cerebral Palsy to Learn to Walk and Play
The ATLAS 2030 developed by Marsi-Bionics is a battery-powered gait exoskeleton, which supports from the trunk to the feet and allows children with spinal cord injuries to sit up and walk. The Atlas 2030 exoskeleton earned its creator, Spanish roboticist Elena García Armada, the 2022 European Inventor Award. According to the European Patent Office, it's the "world's first adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children." Read more about ATLAS 2030.
Stanford University Researchers Create Robotic Exoskeleton Boots
Engineers at Stanford University have created a boot-like robotic exoskeleton that gives users personalized walking assistance, allowing people to walk 9% faster and use 17% less energy per distance traveled. Read more about Robotic Exoskeleton Boots.
A New Device for Early Diagnosis of Degenerative Eye Disorders
Researchers at an EPFL lab have developed an ophthalmological device that can be used to diagnose some degenerative eye disorders long before the onset of the first symptoms. In early clinical trials, the prototype was shown to produce images with a sufficient degree of precision in just five seconds. Read more about new device used to diagnose some degenerative eye disorders
Blackrock Neurotech and Pitt Work on First At-home BCI System for Remote Trials
BCI manufacturer Blackrock Neurotech and the University of Pittsburgh are working together to make studies more accessible to persons with paralysis with the use of a compact, remote Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system that can be used at home. Read more about the new BCI.
FDA Clears EksoNR Robotic Exoskeleton for Multiple Sclerosis
The FDA has cleared Ekso Bionics' EksoNR for use with MS patients, making it the first robotic exoskeleton cleared for use with MS patients. EksoNR is the Richmond, CA-based company's latest generation device. It was previously cleared by FDA for stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation in 2016, and for acquired brain injury in 2020. Read more about EksoNR.
BCI Pioneers Coalition to Serve as a Forum to Discuss Patient Experiences
The BCI Pioneers Coalition will center on the unique experience of Ian Burkhart, a former Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) study participant at Ohio State University, and his peers. The coalition is a grassroots effort by BCI users to center the discussion on patient experiences, led by the patients. Read more about the BCI Pioneers Coalition.
Meet the Stentrode: A Bluetooth Implant to Give You Mind Control Over Computers
A company focused on BCI, Synchron is developing electronic devices that aims to help persons with paralysis control their body, and the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) company has big ambitions for the future of BCI and has begun enrolling patients into the first clinical trial of its kind. Read more about Stentrode.