• A paralysed man has used a robotic arm controlled by his mind to drink a beer on his own for the first time in 13 years!
• While other robotic limbs target the brain region that controls muscles, this technology reportedly targets our “intent to move”.
• A team of researchers led by Caltech say this feat was achieved by implanting neural chips needed to control the arm into the brain of Erik Sorto.
• This part of the brain is called posterior parietal cortex and is in charge of our intent to move.
• It’s reported that Erik has to think of much larger actions in order to complete small tasks and practice frequently (it took 6,700 attempts to play ‘rock paper scissors’).
• The team claims that this technology is more fluid than the “delayed and jerky” movement arising from technology targeting the region of the brain that controls muscles. 

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/23/mind-controlled-robot-arm-beer-erik-sort_n_7427894.html

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/21/caltech-mind-controlled-robot-arm/

http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/21/8639905/brain-control-robot-arm-paralyzed-quadriplegic

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