Monkeys Move Wheelchairs With Their Minds

First off, no, monkeys have not developed telekinetic powers and then attempted to use them against the disabled. That I know of.  The involvement of monkeys in scientific research seems to somehow generate absurd situations that leave the casual observer bewildered and dubious. This is most certainly the case for a recent study that sounds like something straight out of a futuristic sci-fi novel. 

Researchers at Duke Health have recently created a brain-machine interface (BMI) that allows primates to move a robotic wheelchair using only their thoughts. The experiments began in 2012, when hundreds of microfilaments were implanted in the premotor and somatosensory regions of the brains of two rhesus monkeys.  The monkeys were trained by passively moving the chair to the target, a bowl of grapes, while the researchers recorded the large-scale electrical brain activity. The motions of the wheelchair where correlated with signals from different neurons in the monkeys’ brains, creating computational algorithms that mapped brain activity to different trajectories.

An overview of the experimental design

The data from this initial experiment was then used to create the interface system, which detects signals in the monkeys’ brains, and then translates them into commands that move the wheelchair.  The monkeys’ skills at moving the chair actually improved as the experiment continued, with one of the monkeys going from completing the task in 43.1 seconds to 27.3 seconds.  Other differences in brain activity were noticed when the monkeys themselves were moving the chair, as opposed to when they were merely passengers, and their neurons became better attuned to the distance between the chair and the grape dispenser.  This shows promising evidence that the brain is able to adapt to and assimilate the device. According to researchers, the next step in development will be to record more neuronal signals in order to increase the accuracy and fidelity in the primate model before beginning any trials with the device implanted in humans.

A monkey successfully maneuvers the chair to the dish of grapes

This is more than just simple monkeyshines. For many individuals with disabilities that impair movement, wheelchairs are still the primary mode of transportation.  Currently, there is a large amount of focus on the development of exoskeletons controlled by signals from external electroencephalography (EEG), but these devices have been developed for paraplegic patients.  ALS patients or those who are quadriplegic would most likely not be able to use these devices, but removing the need for someone else to move their wheelchair could give them more independence, autonomy, and dignity.  There is even evidence that BMIs can lead to partial neurological recovery by triggering cortical plasticity.  Though there is still much more work to be done to increase the accuracy of intracranial interfaces, it is clear that BMIs could be of great help to the physically disabled.

 Sources:

Davis, Nicola. "Monkeys Taught to Control Robotic Wheelchair by Thought Alone." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

Rajangam, S. et al. Wireless Cortical Brain-Machine Interface for Whole-Body Navigation in Primates. Sci. Rep. 6, 22170; doi: 10.1038/srep22170 (2016).