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Casa Colina Research Institute – Brain Control

Andrew Skinner April 11, 2018 News, Noteworthy, SCI

Casa Colina Research Team Story

Here's an informative video showcasing the Casa Colina Research team and their new study about thought control.

Man controls a robotic arm with his thoughts - LA Times

"In April 2013, a surgical team at Keck Medicine of USC implanted two small electrode grids in the PPC region of Sorto's brain. These allowed a computer to record the electrical signals emanating from the neurons there.

Each of the grids is about the size of a penny and has 96 electrodes coming off it. There's also a bundle of wires that reach up through Sorto's skull.

Two and a half weeks after the surgery, Sorto was ready for his first session with the research team. The scientists began by making a map of his neural signals. To do this, they had him watch movements of the robotic limb and imagine he was controlling it.

"You are basically teaching your decoding algorithm what the neural activity means," Aflalo said. "The neurons are speaking, but you need to learn what it is saying."

The process took just a few minutes. By the end of the first session, Sorto was already able to control he robotic arm with his thoughts alone."

Read more about Erik Sorto's experience here.

Demonstration Video

Here's a demonstration video of a participant in the study controlling the position of a cursor by simply thinking about moving her own thumb.

Interested in participating?

Casa Colina’s Research Institute is looking for candidates for their studies. If you’re interested in this or others that may be coming along soon contact Emily at 909-596-7733 ext. 3036


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