Monkeys Adapt Robot Arm as Their Own

FiReaNGeL writes "Neurobiologists from the Duke University Medical Center are training monkeys to use their brain signals to control a robotic arm; but they are not just learning to manipulate an external device. Rather, "their brain structures are adapting to treat the arm as if it were their own appendage", via a brain-implanted chip. "The finding has profound implications both for understanding the extraordinary adaptability of the primate brain and for the potential clinical success of brain-operated devices to give the handicapped the ability to control their environment", said the researchers. Read the story here with full details."

Comments

Someone's gotta say it...

[TripMaster Monkey]

I for one welcome our new bionic simian overlords.

Re:Someone's gotta say it...

[kniLnamiJ-neB]

...and in Soviet Russia, Robotic Arms control YOU!!!

Re:Someone's gotta say it...

[TFGeditor]

Imagine a Beowulf cluster of cyberntic arms networked with a porn site featuring mattress monkeys...

Great, just what we need...

[crlove]

Damn, dirty apes....

I wonder....

[Sewer Panda]

...was there a particular reason they were working with two female monkeys? Are they less aggressive and easier to work with or are they more adaptable than male monkeys? Either way, this is an amazing discovery.

Re:I wonder....

[TripMaster Monkey]

They tried working with two male monkeys, but they just kept using the robotic arms for arm wrestling, fighting over the remote, and scratching their furry little asses.

^_^

Re:I wonder....

[Sewer Panda]

And flinging poo. Dear god, just imagine what damage three poo-flinging arms could inflict...

Re:I wonder....

[DJProtoss]

Especially since one of them is not only detached from the monkey, but has Hyper-Super-Robot Strength (tm)!

Repeat

[wonkavader]

We've looked at this already: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/1 8/2111225&tid=191&tid=14

It's a funding-by-media trick -- it generates buzz, but they've got a switch which moves an arm, and a single neuron controlling the on off. From down, to up. No control. You could also say "Monkey uses mind to start a car!" using the same single neuron to control a remote starter. Or "monkey controls gun!" by putting a solenoid on a trigger. Both would play well, but then you wouldn't get that nice picture of an arm moving.

There's no real science, here, just an application of 30 year old-tech.

Disclaimer: I'm basing this on my general distrust and what I am NOT seeing written here.

Re:Repeat

[alfboggis]

I think that while this research has been ongoing for some time, the article is highlighting a new interpretation -- that our brains control external "peripherals" (tools, tennis rackets) the same way they control built-in "peripherals" (hands, arms...), and can switch "drivers" on the fly...

FTA:
"This finding supports our theory that the brain has extraordinary abilities to adapt to incorporate artificial tools, whether directly controlled by the brain or through the appendages" said Nicolelis. "Our brain representations of the body are adaptable enough to incorporate any tools that we create to interact with the environment. This may include a robot appendage, but it may also include using a computer keyboard or a tennis racket. In any such case, the properties of this tool become incorporated into our neuronal 'space',"

Re:Repeat

[Anonymous Coward]

but they've got a switch which moves an arm, and a single neuron controlling the on off.

While it is good to be suspicious of flashy results, you're incorrect in this case. The monkeys achieved two degree-of-freedom control over the velocity of the actuator using a population of their neurons. And another study has demonstrated three degree-of-freedom control in a similar preparation. This is far from a one-bit switch.

Re:Repeat

[BillyBlaze]

Even if it's entirely as simple as you say it is, it's still pretty amazing. First, it shows that an individual neuron can be conciously controlled and used to do useful things. And it's developying technology for interfacing with that neuron. And if it can be done with one neuron, surely it can be done with several, and eventually enough to haev very natural control of a robotic limb.

Or, personally more interesting to me, it could be used as a very high-bandwidth connection between a computer and me. (Which could be general enough to allow me to control a robotic limb, or even robotic body, just as I control a video-game character, only better (as I could give more fine-grained input faster and more naturally.)

Re:Repeat

[Gulthek]

Ah, no. As stated in an earlier post I know one of the scientists working on this at Duke (Dook). The monkey learns to control the robot arm completely. That means precise, intentional movements. The *really* cool bit is that once the monkey realized it could control the robot arm it stopped using its own arm when it wasn't necessary. But don't take my word, I'll force you to RTFA:

The scientists next removed the joystick, after which the monkeys continued to move their arms in mid-air to manipulate and "grab" the cursor, thus controlling the robot arm. However, after a few days, the monkeys realized that they did not need to move their own arms. Their arm muscles went completely quiet, they kept the arm at their side, and they controlled the robot using only their brain and visual feedback.

Does that sound like an on/off switch to you? You must have some freakin' awesome lights.

"Mikhail's analysis of the brain signals associated with use of the robotic and animals' actual arms revealed that the animal was simultaneously doing one thing with its own arm and something else with the robotic arm," he said. "So, our hypothesis is that the adaptation of brain structures allows the expansion of capability to use an artificial appendage with no loss of function, because the animal can flip back and forth between using the two. Depending on the goal, the animal could use its own arm or the robotic arm, and in some cases both.

Do you have any glimmering of how mind-bogglingly revolutionary this is? Can you think of any real world applications? No? Then there's even MORE. ...new experiments in his laboratory seek to enable the brain to perceive a feedback sensation from neuroprosthetic devices. Such feedback might be in the form of visual information on the effects of moving a robotic arm. Or, it might be tactile feedback fed as signals into electrodes implanted in the brain.

Such feedback would greatly enhance people's ability to learn and use the devices, said Nicolelis. Also, such feedback would expand use of neuroprosthetics to amputees, because the devices would include all the features -- including feedback -- of real appendages.

Goodbye loss of hand, hello Luke Skywalker robot arm! Or robotic surgery where surgeons could actually feel what their scapels are cutting. Or soldiers mentally controlling battle droids. Get the toughness of metal with the adaptability of the human mind! Or don't just drive, plug in and really feel the car operate. You could get neurological feedback on any problems the car might be developing. Or just use the interface to get awesome control.

They have ****** shown that the mind can incorporate a robotic appendage and use it in addition to the ones we already have! How is this not groundbreaking research in psychology, physics, biology, etc? Even Philosophy! What does it mean that our sense of self is so easily extended?

Re:Repeat

[dmaduram]

more interesting to me, it could be used as a very high-bandwidth connection between a computer and me.

This has already been done several times, both at a low-bandwidth level (electrodes on the skull, done several years ago), and a high-bandwidth level (implanting an electrode directly in the neocortex, done in 2000)

If you're interested in this stuff, you should check out this journal article - PDF Reprint

Kennedy PR, Bakay RAE, Moore MM, Adams K, Goldwaithe J. 2000. Direct control of a computer from the human central nervous system. IEEE Trans. Rehabil. Eng. 8:198-202

Here's the abstract, if you don't want to wade through the PDF:

We describe an invasive alternative to externally applied brain-computer interface (BCI) devices. This system requires implantation of a special electrode into the outer layers of the human neocortex. The recorded signals are transmitted to a nearby receiver and processed to drive a cursor on a computer monitor in front of the patient. Our present patient has learned to control the cursor for the production of synthetic speech and typing.

Always in terms of the "disabled"

[Eunuch]

Interesting neuroscience with obvious transhuman/singularity applications always seem to be directed towards the "disabled". I even remember one scientist being quite happy at the prospect of a handicapped person being able to be employed "by using email". So to get grants they need to let loose more spammers??? Compared to what we'll become, we are plenty disabled already. It'd be nice to have someone who's actually working on these things to mention transhumanism.

Re:Always in terms of the "disabled"

[DJProtoss]

Working to reduce/negate disabilitys == (politically) safe == broader support == better chance of funding. Transhumanism == (politically) dangerous == much less public support == lower chance of funding. Of course with the transhuman route you can always go to the military who may well give you pots of cash to research with [like the chaps who have (kinda) got cameras for the blind working]

Source Article [PDF Reprint]

[dmaduram]

For those interested, a much more informative description of Schwartz et. al.'s research can be found at his lab paper reprint section (click on on the second title from the top - "Schwartz, A.B.: Cortical neural prostheses, Ann. Rev. Neurosci. 27:487-507, 2004.")

Just to give my two cents, this is cool stuff, but it's not that big of a deal when compared with prior research:

"Investigators have demonstrated the potential of this technology in humans patients with the cone electrode (Kennedy et al. 2000). This electrode is a capillary tube filled with growth factor or peripheral nerve extract. Also in the tube are the exposed ends of two microwires, which act as differential electrodes. Neurites that sprout in re-sponse to the electrode penetration are attracted to the interior of the tube, through which they grow and form synaptic connections to other neurons. The axon is per-manently trapped next to the recording electrode. Although only a few channels of multiunit data were recorded, this activity was used by locked-in ALS patients for communicating with a spelling/letter-board program. One patient used this method for more than a year." -- (Schwartz 503)

Also, it's interesting that the paper notes that "laboratories using CNP suggests that, on average, a chronic electrode implanted in monkey cortex has only a 40% to 60% chance of recording unit activity." (Schwartz 503) -- maybe this is just me, but this percent really needs to go up to at least 95% before it's commercially viable -- it'd really suck to have an ALS patient get a cortical implant stuck in his brain at the tune of $100,000+, and have it break immediately after.

atrophy

[denidoom]

I wonder if in an extreme case would the use of normal limbs become difficult? Kind of like when you're in zero g your muscles atrophy. If we did have this 'mind control' ability for machines/tools, would we lose dexterity and motor skills?