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Recently, a revolutionary surgery
was performed in the United States.
A young man who was paralyzed from the neck down had a
computer chip implanted in his brain.
This chip was able to “read his mind” and process
instructions that his mind told it to.
All he had to do was to think of what he wanted to be done,
and the chip was able to read his mind and instruct a computer to
do it.
During the experiment, the
paralyzed man was able to “think” his television set on and
move a computer cursor to the desired location on a screen, all by
means of this mind-reading chip that was implanted in him.
The man was also able to use the same technology to control
a robotic and prosthetic arm – by just thinking of what he
wanted the arm to do.
The new device, called
“BrainGate” is made up 100 very thin electrodes that were
implanted 1 millimeter into a part of the motor cortex of the
brain that controls body movement.
Wires are connected from the electrodes to a computer that
analyzes signals coming from the brain. The computer then translates and carries out the instructions
that were “thought of” by the man’s brain.
Even thought the long-term aim of
the technology is to enable it to electronically simulate muscles
that have lost contact with the brain as a result of a broken
spinal cord, the benefits of this technology are very obvious.
Certainly, until mind control of muscle via electronics
arrives, such paralyzed people should be totally helpless for very
long.
For one thing, such persons will
soon be able to move about with little or no help. The day may not be too far when such paralyzed people can be
fitted with a sort of body Armour that will allow them to do some
of the basic thinks that they cannot do now – like take a glass
of water, write a note or even turn their heads.
The technology exists (or is very near in the future),
where a full body suit can be made that can be controlled with
such a wonderful device.
If and when, the technology is
advanced to the point when human muscles can be reliable
controlled, then salvation would have finally arrived for the
paralyzed. A broken
spinal cord will no longer prevent the brain from sending
instructing signals to the rest of the body.
It is clear that paralyzed people may not have to wait too
long for the day when they will get their lives back.
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