Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
On more than one occasion, redOrbit has reported on work done at the Nicolelis laboratory at the Duke University School of Medicine. Neurobiology professor Miguel Nicolelis has pioneered the field of brain-machine interface (BMI). Previous breakthroughs have included enabling rats to “touch” infrared light and electronically connecting rat brains to create an organic computer. While these, in and of themselves, seem like really cool feats, the greater purpose of BMI is even cooler.
BMI, a field of study receiving much focus and attention in only the last 10 years is, according to the Walk Again Project website, “…one of the most exciting – and promising – areas of basic and applied research in modern neuroscience.”
The Walk Again Project, led by the Duke Center for Neuroengineering, is a multinational collaborative effort to develop high-performance brain-controlled prosthetic devices meant to enable paralyzed victims to regain their mobility. The Brazilian research funding agency FINEP awarded a research grant of $20 million recently, and with the latest news out of the Nicolelis lab, they are wasting no time in using that funding to further advance the field of BMI from science fiction to science fact.
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