Scientists Want To Develop An Extra Arm You Can Control With Your Mind

Have you ever mused that life would be more productive if you had an extra arm? Well, that could one day come true, as researchers are looking to perfect technology that would allow humans to control an “extra robotic hand” with just their minds. 

The concept, called movement augmentation, could possibly be fulfilled by using the currently dormant neural signals within our brains, providing a “new degree of freedom” to control motion without using other parts of our bodies. 

While this may sound superhero-esque, studies and trials are already underway to explore the technology’s full potential. One such method is via brain-machine interfaces (BMI), though it requires surgery for the brain implant to be inserted. 

As such, while effective, BMIs aren’t the ideal way forward for movement augmentation, leading researchers to look into another possible solution, dubbed electromyography (EMG). 

According to Futurism, EMG occurs when skeletal muscles are activated by signals sent by the spinal neurons. To translate this “code” between parts of our bodies, scientists created a training module that can read these EMG signals. 

Impressively, the machine is able to tell what pulses of motor neurons make up these EMG signals, so it can then be translated into a mathematic equation for researchers to “decode” and replicate the activity with a robotic arm. 

In an experiment, users had electrodes placed over their anterior muscle in the shin, with frequencies separating the neurons into low bands and high bands, which were then linked to horizontal and vertical movements. 

“Remarkably,” as per the researchers, users quickly learned how to move the cursor they were attached to with just their minds. Of course, the study is still in its early stages, and the team has to figure out how to apply this deliberate control to more complex robotic limbs that will actually serve a purpose. 

Scientists still have to figure out if the technology will shape the neural processes of users, and if using your brain to control a body part over and over again would allow users to gain a more intuitive type of control overall. 

[via Futurism and IEEE Spectrum, cover image via Insidestudio | Dreamstime.com]