Submitted to:

Submitted by:
Mr. Rakesh Garg
Abhinav Passi
Brain Gate

Asst. Prof. in CSE dept.

1407020
SKIET
CSE(A1)

CONTENTS

1. Abstract

2. Cyberkinetics

3. What is Brain gate

4. A boon to paralyzed

5. What is BMI?
(a). How BMI works
(b). Cortical Plasticity
(c). BMI applications
(d). BMI drawbacks

6. Competitive advantage

7. Conclusion

8. References

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ABSTRACT
BrainGate was developed by the bio-tech company Cyberkinetics in
2003 in conjunction with the Department of Neuroscience at Brown
University. The device was designed to help those who have lost
control of their limbs, or other bodily functions. The computer chip,
which is implanted into the brain, monitors brain activity in the patient
and converts the intention of the user into computer commands.
Currently the chip uses 100 hair thin electrodes that 'hear' neurons
firing in specific areas of the brain, for example, the area that controls
arm movement. The activities are translated into electrically charged
signals and are then sent and decoded using a program, thus moving
the arm. According to the Cyberkinetics' website, two patients have
been implanted with the BrainGate system.

The BrainGate Neural Interface System is currently the subject of a

pilot clinical trial being conducted under an Investigational Device
Exemption (IDE) from the FDA. The system is designed to restore
functionality for a limited, immobile group of severely motor-impaired
individuals. It is expected that people using the BrainGate System will
employ a personal computer as the gateway to a range of self-
directed activities. These activities may extend beyond typical
computer functions (e.g., communication) to include the control of
objects in the environment such as a telephone, a television and
lights.

The BrainGate System is based on Cyberkinetics' platform

technology to sense, transmit, analyze and apply the language of
neurons. The System consists of a sensor that is implanted on the
motor cortex of the brain and a device that analyzes brain signals.
The principle of operation behind the BrainGate System is that with
intact brain function, brain signals are generated even though they
are not sent to the arms, hands and legs. The signals are interpreted
and translated into cursor movements, offering the user an alternate

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"BrainGate pathway" to control a computer with thought, just as

individuals who have the ability to move their hands use a mouse.

Cyberkinetics is further developing the BrainGate System to

potentially provide limb movement to people with severe motor
disabilities. The goal of this development program would be to allow
these individuals to one day use their own arms and hands again.
Limb movement developments are currently at the research stage
and are not available for use with the existing BrainGate System. In
addition Cyberkinetics is developing products to allow for robotic
control, such as a thought-controlled wheelchair.

In the future, the BrainGate System could be used by those

individuals whose injuries are less severe. Next generation products
may be able to provide an individual with the ability to control devices
that allow breathing, bladder and bowel movements.

The BrainGate Neural Interface System is an investigational device. It

is not approved for sale and is available only through a clinical study.

CYBERKINETICS
The idea of a machine that could read peoples’ minds has long been
a farfetched and intriguing idea for the world of technology. However,
this improbable development may be becoming more and more of a
reality. Cyberkinetics Inc based in Foxboro, Mass. is developing a
chip that can be implanted.

The chip has just received FDA approval and has begun its clinical
trial. It is the hope of Cyberkinetics Inc that the chip will allow patients
to command a computer action by simply thinking about it.

Cyberkinetics Inc is one of the leading corporations in the field of

brain computer interfaces. The company was established in 2001 in
an effort to commercialize advances by Brown University scientists in
the field of neurology. The chief executive of the company is Tim
Surgenor, and he is a leading proponent in the development of direct
brain connection technology.

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Cyberkinetics Inc has dubbed its development of this product as the

BrainGate System. This campaign is hopped to be the breakthrough
technological advance in the field of computer interfacing. Not only
does this system expect to aid individuals with motor impairments
through supporting their use of the computer, but it also hopes to
monitor the treatment of certain diseases, such as epilepsy and
depression.
The BrainGate System has been under research and development for
more than ten years at Brown University. CyberKinetics Inc has just
recently launched a trial of this system in five severely disabled
individuals. However, the system was first tested by Cyberkinetics
founder, John Donoghue, on three rhesus monkeys. The system was
successful with this monkey testing. One of the monkeys was able to
move a computer cursor using his brain.

Other Companies

Cyberkinetics Inc. is not the only company that is working on the

development of direct brain connections. Similar efforts have been
made by an Atlanta based company called Neural Signals as well as
the New York State Department of Health under Dr. Jonathan
Wolpaw.
Neural Signals has conducted its clinical trial and is hoping to
make connections similar to that of Cyberkinetics. Dr. Wolpaw’s
research focuses on the ability to train the mind and have it adapt to
new patterns of cause and effect. Although great strides have been
made in both of these efforts, it is believed that Cyberkinetics Inc will
be the first to conduct a long term trial with more sophisticated
devices.

WHAT IS BRAINGATE
The Braingate program aims at developing a fast, reliable and
inconspicuous connection between the brain of a severely disabled
person and a personal computer.

The BrainGate Neural Interface Device is a proprietary brain

computer interface that uses an internal sensor to detect brain activity

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and external processors that convert these brain signals into a

computer-mediated output under the person’s own control. The
BrainGate System is a hardware device that uses software. The
sensor consists of a tiny chip, smaller than a baby asprin, which
contains one hundred electrode sensors that each tap into a separate
neuron. BrainGate senses, analyses, and transmits the data from the
brain to an outside system. This allows the user to interact with the
outside world in a more independent way. The ultimate goal of the
BrainGate System development program is to create a safe, effective
and unobtrusive universal operating system that will enable those
with motor impairments to control a wide range of devices, including
computers, assistive technologies and medical devices, by simply
using their thoughts.

BrainGate contains a chip that is implanted on the surface of the

motor cortex area of the brain. In the pilot version of the device, a
cable connects the sensor to an external signal processor in a cart
that contains three computers. The computers translate hard-to
detect brain signals to create the communication output using custom
decoding software. When the patient is connected to the system he
or she can mentally move the cursor just like a mouse would do. John
Donoghue, the chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Brown
University, led the original project research and went on to co-found
Cyberkinetics, where he is currently chief scientific officer overseeing
the clinical trial. . The development of the BrainGate program is the
culmination of 10 years of research in the academic laboratory at
Brown University. Hugh Herr, another scientist, also helped in the
development of a neural interface system. Herr became very
passionate about the development of a technology that would give
independence and movement back to people that were physically
impaired. Herr lost both legs at a young age from frostbite. He then
started research on combining both body and machine, his research
has already made a significant impact for people that are physically
challenged. He has helped in the development of many prosthetics.

The development of the BrainGate System brain-computer interface

is to enable those with severe paralysis and other neurological
conditions to live more productively and independently. Also,
scientists are developing the BrainGate System’s underlying core
technology in the NeuroPort System to enable improved diagnosis

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and treatment for a number of neurological conditions, such as

epilepsy and brain trauma. The NeuroPort System is a neural monitor
designed for acute inpatient applications and labeled for temporary
recording and monitoring of brain electrical activity. BrainGate will
be the first human device that has been designed to record, filter, and
amplify multiple channels of simultaneously recorded neural activity
at a very high spatial and temporal resolution. It has been thoroughly
researched and will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of
neurological conditions in patients who have undergone a
craniotomy. This will give neurologists and neurosurgeons a new
resource to detect, transmit and analyze neural activity.

Dr. Steve Williams, a clinical advisor to Cyberkinetics, presented a

description of the BrainGate Controller, a next generation,
standardized interface system that is under development. The
development of this system would replace the initial prototype
controller which has been used in the BrainGate trial until now. The
M*Power Controller is designed to allow a BrainGate System patient
to control a standard wireless computer device. The new interface is
also intended to be easier to use for patients and their families, so
they can access the capabilities of the system on a routine basis
without reliance on a technician. These two closely linked efforts are
intended to yield a BrainGate System allowing patients significant
control over their environment, the ability to readily perform numerous
daily activities that are currently beyond their reach, and vastly
enhance communications opportunities. For example, use of the
M*Controller as an interface control, by thought alone would allow
patients to perform a range of tasks including: making and receiving
telephone calls, controlling remote devices, accessing the internet,
and communicating via e-mail.

The BrainGate system includes hardware and software and may be

used as a telecommunication device in the future. This could greatly
impact a business or organization. It will give people with disabilities
a chance to work at a business just like anyone else. With this
technology they will be able use a wide variety of devices and may
also lead to a decline in the use of hands on activities. With the
development of devices such as these, one day everyone may have
chips in their brain that will allow them to perform tasks without the
use of their body. Researchers aren’t promising any miracles or that

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quadriplegics will walk again but they are trying to make the daily life
of the physically challenged easier by giving them the ability to fulfill
activities of daily life.

We have presented to you an overview of the technology known as

the Brain Gate System. Above, we have described the technology,
discussed how it could impact a business or organization, and how
the developers are planning to take this technology to the next level.
Here is a recap of the main points. Brain Gate is a neural interface
system device that has a chip that reads brain activity through the
use of sensors and then transmits the activities to three computers
which convert the thoughts into actions. This system is used for
people that are physically impaired; it helps give them the
independence and the capabilities of the norm. The scientists working
on Brain Gate hope to create an operating system that is safe,
effective and unobtrusive. The neurologists are constantly trying to
come up with more ideas to push this form of emerging technology
further. They hope to better the lives of individuals who are both
fortunate and unfortunate, and that is what technology is all about.

Brain Gate Clinical Trials

Partnering with leading rehabilitation centers in Boston, Chicago and
Providence, Cyber kinetics is currently recruiting patients to enroll in a
pilot clinical trial of the Brain Gate Neural Interface System.

The Brain Gate System is designed to provide a means for people

with severe motor impairment a new method to communicate with a
computer directly with their thoughts. As an investigational device, the
Brain Gate System is only offered through the clinical trial and is not
commercially available.

A BOON TO THE PARALYZED

It will now be possible for a patient with spinal cord injury to produce
brain signals that relay the intention of moving the paralyzed limbs, as
signals to an implanted sensor, which is then output as electronic
impulses. These impulses enable the user to operate mechanical
devices with the help of a computer cursor.

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A report appearing in the July 13 issue of Nature includes the first

published findings from an ongoing clinical trial of the Brain Gate
Neural Interface System, a brain-computer interface device in the
early stages of clinical testing at Massachusetts General Hospital
(MGH), Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and other institutions
across the country.

"The broad question we are addressing is whether it's possible for

someone with paralysis to use the activity of the motor cortex [the
part of the brain responsible for motion] to control an external device,"
says Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD, a neurologist at MGH, Spaulding
and Brigham and Women's Hospital and lead author of the Nature
paper. "There has been a question of how the function of the cortex
might change after it was disconnected from the rest of the body by
damage to the spinal cord. We're finding that, even years after spinal
cord injury, the same signals that originally controlled a limb are
available and can be utilized."

Manufactured by Cyber kinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc., of

Foxborough, Mass., the Brain Gate System consists of an internal
sensor to detect brain cell activity and external processors that
convert brain impulses into computerized signals. Two clinical trials
are currently underway to evaluate the system's safety and feasibility
for detecting and translating brain activity from patients with paralysis
resulting from spinal cord injury, brain stem stroke or muscular
dystrophy and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou
Gehrig's disease). John Donoghue, PhD, a neuroscience professor
and director of the Brain Science Program at Brown University and
the senior author of the Nature paper, is a co-founder of Cyber
kinetics.

The Nature report describes the first participant in these trials, a 25-
year-old man who had sustained a spinal cord injury leading to
paralysis in all four limbs three years prior to the study. Over a period
of nine months, he took part in 57 sessions during which the
implanted Brain Gate sensor recorded activity in his motor cortex
while he imagined moving his paralyzed limbs and then used that
imagined motion for several computer-based tasks. Among his
accomplishments – completed with little or no learning time – was
moving a computer cursor to open simulated e-mail, draw circular

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shapes and play simple video games. He also was able to open and
close a prosthetic hand and use a robotic limb to grasp and move
objects.

"This system is giving us, for the first time, the ability to look at and
listen to firing patterns of ensembles of individual neurons in the
human brain for extended periods of time. We hope the knowledge
gained from this work will allow the development of systems that
provide improved communication and environmental control for
people with paralysis and someday, when combined with
neuromuscular stimulators, restore control over their limbs," says
Hochberg, an instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and
an investigator in neuroscience at Brown. He and his co-authors also
note that the system requires significant improvement in reliability and
control and that further research is needed before it will be useful
outside a research setting.

BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACE
A brain machine interface (BMI), sometimes called a direct neural
interface or a brain-machine interface, is a direct communication
pathway between a human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and
an external device. In one-way BMIs, computers either accept
commands from the brain or send signals to it (for example, to restore
vision) but not both.[1] Two-way BMIs would allow brains and
external devices to exchange information in both directions but have
yet to be successfully implanted in animals or humans.

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Figure. Monkey BMI control setup

Research on BMIs began in the 1970s, but it wasn't until the mid-
1990s that the first working experimental implants in humans
appeared. Following years of animal experimentation, early working
implants in humans now exist, designed to restore damaged hearing,
sight and movement. The common thread throughout the research is
the remarkable cortical plasticity of the brain, which often adapts to
BMIs, treating prostheses controlled by implants as natural limbs.
With recent advances in technology and knowledge, pioneering
researchers could now conceivably attempt to produce BMIs that
augment human functions rather than simply restoring them,
previously only the realm of science fiction.

How Brain-machine Interfaces Work

As the power of modern computers grows alongside our
understanding of the human brain, we move ever closer to making
some pretty spectacular science fiction into reality. Imagine
transmitting signals directly to someone's brain that would allow them
to see, hear or feel specific sensory inputs. Consider the potential to
manipulate computers or machinery with nothing more than a
thought. It isn't about convenience for severely disabled people,
development of a brain machine interface (BMI) could be the most
important technological breakthrough in decades. In this article, we'll

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learn all about how BMIs work, their limitations and where they could
be headed in the future.

The Electric Brain

The reason a BCI works at all is because of the way our brains
function. Our brains are filled with neurons, individual nerve cells
connected to one another by dendrites and axons. Every time we
think, move, feel or remember something, our neurons are at work.
That work is carried out by small electric signals that zip from neuron
to neuron as fast as 250 mph. The signals are generated by
differences in electric potential carried by ions on the membrane of
each neuron.
Although the paths the signals take are insulated by something called
myelin, some of the electric signal escapes. Scientists can detect

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those signals, interpret what they mean and use them to direct a
device of some kind. It can also work the other way around. For
example, researchers could figure out what signals are sent to the
brain by the optic nerve when someone sees the color red. They
could rig a camera that would send those exact signals into
someone's brain whenever the camera saw red, allowing a blind
person to "see" without eyes.

Cortical Plasticity

For years, the brain of an adult human was viewed as a static organ.
When you are a growing, learning child, your brain shapes itself and
adapts to new experiences, but eventually it settles into an
unchanging state -- or so went the prevailing theory.
Beginning in the 1990s, research showed that the brain actually
remains flexible even into old age. This concept, known as cortical
plasticity, means that the brain is able to adapt in amazing ways to
new circumstances. Learning something new or partaking in novel
activities forms new connections between neurons and reduces the

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onset of age-related neurological problems. If an adult suffers a brain

injury, other parts of the brain are able to take over the functions of
the damaged portion.
Why is this important for BMIs? It means that an adult can learn to
operate with a BMI, their brain forming new connections and adapting
to this new use of neurons. In situations where implants are used, it
means that the brain can accommodate this seemingly foreign
intrusion and develop new connections that will treat the implant as a
part of the natural brain.

BMI Applications
One of the most exciting areas of BMI research is the development of
devices that can be controlled by thoughts. Some of the applications
of this technology may seem frivolous, such as the ability to control a
video game by thought. If you think a remote control is convenient,
imagine changing channels with your mind.
However, there's a bigger picture -- devices that would allow severely
disabled people to function independently. For a quadriplegic,
something as basic as controlling a computer cursor via mental
commands would represent a revolutionary improvement in quality of
life. But how do we turn those tiny voltage measurements into the
movement of a robotic arm?
Early research used monkeys with implanted electrodes. The
monkeys used a joystick to control a robotic arm. Scientists
measured the signals coming from the electrodes. Eventually, they
changed the controls so that the robotic arm was being controlled
only by the signals coming form the electrodes, not the joystick.

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A more difficult task is interpreting the brain signals for movement in

someone who can't physically move their own arm. With a task like
that, the subject must "train" to use the device. With an EEG or
implant in place, the subject would visualize closing his or her right
hand. After many trials, the software can learn the signals associated
with the thought of hand-closing. Software connected to a robotic
hand is programmed to receive the "close hand" signal and interpret it
to mean that the robotic hand should close. At that point, when the
subject thinks about closing the hand, the signals are sent and the
robotic hand closes.
A similar method is used to manipulate a computer cursor, with the
subject thinking about forward, left, right and back movements of the
cursor. With enough practice, users can gain enough control over a
cursor to draw a circle, access computer programs and control a TV
[source: Ars Technica]. It could theoretically be expanded to allow
users to "type" with their thoughts.
Once the basic mechanism of converting thoughts to computerized or
robotic action is perfected, the potential uses for the technology are

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almost limitless. Instead of a robotic hand, disabled users could have

robotic braces attached to their own limbs, allowing them to move
and directly interact with the environment. This could even be
accomplished without the "robotic" part of the device. Signals could
be sent to the appropriate motor control nerves in the hands,
bypassing a damaged section of the spinal cord and allowing actual
movement of the subject's own hands.

BMI Drawbacks
Although we already understand the basic principles behind BMIs,
they don't work perfectly. There are several reasons for this.
1. The brain is incredibly complex. To say that all thoughts or
actions are the result of simple electric signals in the brain is a
gross understatement. There are about 100 billion neurons in a
human brain. Each neuron is constantly sending and receiving
signals through a complex web of connections. There are chemical
processes involved as well, which EEGs can't pick up on.
2. The signal is weak and prone to interference. EEGs measure
tiny voltage potentials. Something as simple as the blinking eyelids
of the subject can generate much stronger signals. Refinements in
EEGs and implants will probably overcome this problem to some
extent in the future, but for now, reading brain signals is like
listening to a bad phone connection. There's lots of static.
3. The equipment is less than portable. It's far better than it
used to be -- early systems were hardwired to massive mainframe
computers. But some BMIs still require a wired connection to the
equipment, and those that are wireless require the subject to carry
a computer that can weigh around 10 pounds. Like all technology,
this will surely become lighter and more wireless in the future.

Competitive Advantage:

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The Brain Gate Neural Interface System is being designed to one day
allow the user to interface with a computer and/or other devices at a
level of speed, accuracy and precision that is comparable to, or even
faster than, what is possible with the hands of a non-disabled person.
The Brain Gate System may offer substantial improvement over
existing assistive technologies.

Currently available assistive devices have significant limitations for

both the person in need and the caregiver. For example, even simple
switches must be adjusted frequently, a process that can be time
consuming. In addition, these devices are often obtrusive and may
prevent the user from being able to simultaneously use the device
and at the same time establish eye contact or carry on conversations
with others.

Potential advantages of the Brain Gate System over other muscle

driven or brain-based computer interface approaches include: its
potential to interface with a computer without weeks or months of
training; its potential to be used in an interactive environment, where
the user's ability to operate the device is not affected by their speech,
eye movements or ambient noise; and the ability to provide
significantly more usefulness and utility than other approaches by
connecting directly to the part of the brain that controls hand
movement and gestures.

Conclusion

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Brain gate technology has proven to be a solution not only for the
quadriplegics but it goes far beyond that . It is an early step towards
learning to read signals from an array of neurons and use computers
and algorithms to translate the signals into action. That could lead to
artificial limbs that work like the real ones.It has been proved that
people can actually use this system to switch a television on and off,
to control the volume and to manipulate a prosthetic hand.

All of these developing technologies are fascinating and are sure to

help millions of people, but what happens when these technologies
are perfected, and prosthesis become viable replacements rather
than just substitutes? What happens when this technology becomes
available to people who don’t need it. Imagine athletes upgrading to
prosthetic legs so they can run faster, jump higher? The option to
change out body parts for artificial ones would certainly raise some
red flags, especially in religious groups.

REFERENCES

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1. www.ieeexplore.ieee.org
2. www.google.co.in
3. www.ask.com
4. www.wikipedia.com
5. www.howstuffworks.com
6. www.cyberkineticsinc.com

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