To me this still seems to require a fully functioning motor cortex if those are the signals they are trying to read. Most of my motor cortex and premotor cortex is dead, so what is the solution for my recovery?
UT researchers develop electrode to rehabilitate stroke patients at home
University of Texas researchers have created an electrode that can be used to rehabilitate stroke patients at home, according to a study published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
Evan Wang, one of the principal investigators, said the electrode has a three-dimensional interface, which results in a higher quality recording of the brain’s activities than traditional materials produce. He said the electrode acts as a brain-computer interface.
José del R. Millán, the study’s other principal investigator, said a brain-computer interface “measures electrical activity from subjects in the brain while they are engaged in different tasks. Once the brain-computer interface determines what tasks people want to execute, (it) translates that intent to an external device.”
Wang, a biomedical engineering assistant professor, said that traditionally electrodes measure brain activity using a liquid gel that quickly dries out, a problem that limits how long brain activity can be monitored. He said in this project, the researchers used a gel to attract water and glycerol to prevent the material from drying.
Millán, an electrical engineering and neurology professor, said to measure the brain’s electrical activity, researchers attach electrodes to a subject’s head. He said the current gel-based system used to improve the conductivity of the electrical signals is burdensome.
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“The goal is to develop a new material in order to integrate it into the brain-computer interface (and) replace the gel-based system with new electrodes that open up the possibility of (long-term) recordings with minimal assistance,” Millán said.
Wang said people can use the electrode system for multiple purposes, including communication, driving a wheelchair or operating a prosthetic arm.
Wang said he and his collaborators are building on the results of this study by working on a headset composed of multiple electrodes that can be used to monitor epilepsy over time.
Millán said through the research, he hopes stroke patients can attend therapy in the comfort of their homes instead of going to rehabilitation centers.
This story was originally published by The Daily Texan, the independent newspaper produced by University of Texas students.
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