Brain chip sought to drive paralyzed limbs
SAN DIEGO (UPI) -- Three U.S. universities were given grants to studysensorimotor neural engineering that would allow the brain tocommunicate with prosthetic or paralyzed limbs.
San Diego State University is one of the schools sharing an $18.5million National Science Foundation grant to research chips that couldbe implanted in the brain to send signals to a prosthetic or paralyzedlimb, giving it the full dexterity of an undamaged hand or leg, TheSan Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday.
Sensors in the limbs would return signals to the brain, sendingsensations of heat and cold or recognizing changes in texture,researchers said.
The five-year grant will be shared between SDSU, the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and the University of Washington.
"NSF always pursues research at the leading edge," foundationspokesman Josh Chamot said. "We're taking proposals that look forward,that could lead to entirely new concepts and technology, entirely newfields. But the fact is that the people who built up this team alreadyhave research that shows they can accomplish these goals."
Scientists say the research could lead to commercial products to helpwounded veterans, people with spinal cord injuries and those withneurological disorders.
"It's like the Six Million Dollar Man, the bionic man," said Kee Moon,a mechanical engineering professor who will lead SDSU's team.
"We hope, at the end of 10 years, to be able to implant a device onthe brain to drive a prosthetic device in a way that the informationgoes both ways -- from the brain to the device and the device to thebrain," he said.
Copyright 2011 by United Press International
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