Cyberprosthesis. It connects neurons to magnets

Thought-controlled prosthetic technology is exciting scientists and opening up almost cyberpunk possibilities, in which the events of the last two Deus Ex seem almost prophetic. The difficulty is that such devices work by implanting electrodes into the nervous system or brain of an amputee. New technology offers an elegant solution with tiny inert magnets.

The way humanity seeks and offers solutions related to amputation shows how flexible and purposeful our nature is. It doesn't matter what tool you use, if here and now and in the long term, it brings visible and pleasant fruits. Here are such tools, as well as questions about human nature, its evolution, biohacking and transhumanism, community materials tell. Subscribe to stay up to date with new articles!

Signal transmission in cybernetic prosthesis and starting points

When a person thinks about moving his fingers and tries to reproduce this attempt, the electrodes detect nerve signals that go from the brain to the hand. Integrated electronics converts these signals into commands that are transmitted to the hand servo drives and now the fingers move as the person needs.

Under the leadership of Professor Christian Cipriani, scientists from Italy's Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies) have begun developing a simpler, but more effective alternativeThe resulting system was tested on a 34-year-old test subject named Daniel, who lost his left arm in an accident in September 2022.

Using MRI scans and electromyography — monitoring electrical activity in muscle tissue — the scientists began by studying how the muscles in Daniel’s left stump contracted when he thought about moving his fingers. Daniel was a good recipient, in part, because he continued to experience phantom limb sensation.

Magnets and cyber prostheses

Based on their observations, the researchers implanted six tiny magnets — each just a few millimeters across — into key muscles. They then gave Daniel a prosthetic hand, the Mia-Hand, with a carbon fiber cuff that fits over his stump.

When the muscles in the stump contracted in response to the thought of moving the fingers, magnetic field sensors in the cuff detected the movements of the implanted magnets. Depending on which magnets/muscles moved in which direction, the fingers were prompted to move accordingly. Neurocontrol for prosthetics is built on different principles.

In the tests, Daniel opened cans, used a screwdriver, closed zip-lock bags, used a knife, and lifted and moved various objects. He also tested his grip strength when handling fragile objects.

Based on the results of cyber prosthesis testing

The trial on the first patient was successful. We can extrapolate these results to a wider range of amputations.

Professor Christian Cipriani.

More materials about the brain, neuroprosthetics, cyberprosthetics, new types of intelligence or using parts of the brain as a server rack – read in community materials. Subscribe to stay up to date with new articles!