Brain Machine Interfaces Lab
Our research focus is on brain-machine interfaces designed to restore
arm and hand function in people paralyzed below the neck. We are
developing ways to extract intended arm and hand movements in real
time from neural activity recorded from intracortical microelectrodes
as well as from field potentials recorded outside the brain. We are
optimizing decoding methods for both kinds of neural signals and are
investigating adaptive decoding functions that facilitate beneficial
learning in the brain. We are collaborating with our colleagues at
the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center who have
developed systems to restore arm and hand function by activating
paralyzed muscles via low levels of electrical current applied to the
peripheral nerves. Together we are working to enabling paralyzed
individuals to once again move their arms and hands just by thinking
about doing so.
We are currently collaborating with the Kirsch lab
in the development of a virtual environment for the evaluation
of upper-limb neural prostheses. This simulation environment allows
brain or other types of command signals to drive a real-time virtual
model of paralyzed arm activated through function electrical stimulation .
Once all the pieces of the decoding and control systems have been
refined using the virtual environment, we anticipate combining the
brain recording technologies with the peripheral nerve stimulation
technology. Together, these systems will enable paralyzed individuals
to control their own arm and hand directly from the brain.
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