Quadriplegic man's arm and hand brought back to life by thought-control tech

This is great news, a quadriplegic moved his right arm with help of thought control tech.

A quadriplegic man has had his right arm and hand brought back to life with the help of thought-control technology.

Bill Kochevar, 56, was paralysed below his shoulders in a cycling accident eight years ago but can now grasp and lift objects after having two pill-sized electrodes implanted in his brain.

Bill Kochevar had electrodes record his brain activity to generate signals to tell another device to stimulate muscles to move in the paralyses limb. Awesome!

Kochevar had electrodes record the activity of brain neurons to generate signals that tell another device to stimulate muscles in the paralysed limb.

During trials held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr Kochevar raised a mug of water to his lips and drank from a straw.

news.sky.com...


Kochevar was fitted with a mobile support, this he controls with his brain too. He also told researchers he could control muscle activation with out having to concentrate hard at all. Wow. I hope this tech can help all the people who need it.

Mr Kochevar was fitted with a mobile support, which he also controls with his brain, to counterbalance the force of gravity.

The 56-year-old told researchers he was able to control the muscle activation system "without having to really concentrate hard at it".

Sounds good but I bet that whole system is really expensive. Out of the reach of most of us. I don't think I would even want it, knowing how much it cost and how much the maintenance and training costs were. I don't think that health insurance should pay for that kind of stuff, all of our rates will go so high that we won't be able to even afford healthcare.

Wow... I mean what else is there really to say. What an amazing technology.

Hopefully this won't end up costing an arm and a leg (pun intended) and will bring a new lease on life for people who suffer from various forms of paralysis.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Sounds good but I bet that whole system is really expensive. Out of the reach of most of us. I don't think I would even want it, knowing how much it cost and how much the maintenance and training costs were. I don't think that health insurance should pay for that kind of stuff, all of our rates will go so high that we won't be able to even afford healthcare.

Gotta start somewhere.

Prototypes are always expensive.

a reply to: rickymouse

I hope the finished product would be a "hat" to pick up brain signals and a glove-wrist band to manipulate muscles. Maybe an app for a cell phone to assist in control?

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: rickymouse
Sounds good but I bet that whole system is really expensive. Out of the reach of most of us. I don't think I would even want it, knowing how much it cost and how much the maintenance and training costs were. I don't think that health insurance should pay for that kind of stuff, all of our rates will go so high that we won't be able to even afford healthcare.

Gotta start somewhere.

Prototypes are always expensive.

I would bet that when they become available, the whole package for two clumsy limbs would run a half a million. Not much cheaper for one either. That would be the whole package, I can't see that. My mother got around all right with one mostly paralyzed arm and a leg brace from the stroke she had. She was in a wheel chair for fifteen years and she managed. My parents would have been totally broke if they even had to do a copay on that kind of stuff, they wouldn't have had the money to go to Florida in their fifth wheel for the Winters and they would have had no chance at all to buy their home they lived in after the stroke.

a reply to: rickymouse

I agree, this is going to be a huge $$$ earner and with the state of the medical community it will be granted a monopoly in terms of competition. This will allow the most profit potential to be realized.

Wonder how much tax $$$ is wrapped up in this baby?

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: rickymouse

I hope the finished product would be a "hat" to pick up brain signals and a glove-wrist band to manipulate muscles. Maybe an app for a cell phone to assist in control?

Yeah, I could see it. The kids or grandkids getting my cellphone and playing with it making my hand hit me in the head. They would use me for cracking peanuts. the phone rings and you drop the frying pan.

a reply to: rickymouse

Nice, the potential is endless.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: rickymouse

Nice, the potential is endless.

My old beer drinking buddies would have fun with that too.

originally posted by: rickymouse
My mother got around all right with one mostly paralyzed arm and a leg brace from the stroke she had. She was in a wheel chair for fifteen years and she managed.

My mom was a polio victim in the '51 epidemic.

But, quad means you can't even feed yourself.

To have one arm for even that much independence is something.

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: rickymouse
My mother got around all right with one mostly paralyzed arm and a leg brace from the stroke she had. She was in a wheel chair for fifteen years and she managed.

My mom was a polio victim in the '51 epidemic.

But, quad means you can't even feed yourself.

To have one arm for even that much independence is something.

Yeah, having one arm would be nice. As long as the financial burden does not destroy your or your families life.

I saw a news video about a vet running marathons with these spring type things on his legs. He had lost both lower legs in Iraq I think. These running legs cost about two hundred fifty grand which was paid by donations. Now, the military gave him regular legs to walk with, is it worth all that money just to be able to run in a race? These are things that we need to consider when dealing with things. Who actually received that money, the guy got to run but medical businesses got all of those donations. That guy could have done a lot more with the money in his life, he could have put his kids through college and helped them start off in the world with that money.

I have a problem with where the money goes with these kinds of things. Give the people a little extra money to help support them instead of giving all that money to the medical profession.

a reply to: rickymouse


I heard of one where electrodes were placed on the fingers of a comatose patient , then the shocks were given. The electrons go up the nerve, and become accumulative at the nerve end where the break is, thus causing a negative charge to build up, which stimulates cell growth in the nerve so it forms a bridge and joins up the break. It might be the same thing that causes a Salamander to regrow its tail, as it seems they have a negative charge where the tail is shed. Where if we loose a limb we have a positive charge on the stump.

I don't get the need for brain invasive surgery.

We've had this for a number of years. And the way it works is the same.



It could control the same software/hardware and not require an operation?

we're heading too far into cyborg region.. let me know when we are able to play games in full 3d in our minds, I can imagine a bit of pew pew strafe jump elevator glitch better then

Hmm, interesting. Johns Hopkins is doing something similar with their prosthetics program. Amputees will get tiny electrodes installed at nerve endings where their limb was removed. Then they are asked a series of questions related to limb movement and asked to imagine preforming those actions. A computer records the resulting nerve singles until they have enough information form a map. Then they build a custom prosthetic that interfaces with the electrodes and remembers the mapping for the nerve signals. The result is a fully functional prosthetic limb that is able to respond to thought alone.

a reply to: seasonal

Thanks for the update!

originally posted by: anonentity
a reply to: rickymouse


I heard of one where electrodes were placed on the fingers of a comatose patient , then the shocks were given. The electrons go up the nerve, and become accumulative at the nerve end where the break is, thus causing a negative charge to build up, which stimulates cell growth in the nerve so it forms a bridge and joins up the break. It might be the same thing that causes a Salamander to regrow its tail, as it seems they have a negative charge where the tail is shed. Where if we loose a limb we have a positive charge on the stump.

Well that is interesting, I will have to research that a little. That is probably why hydrogen peroxide stimulates wound healing too.