Researchers have created a device that can read and decipher brain signals, allowing amputees to control the arm using only their thoughts.

A University of Minnesota research team has made mind-reading possible through the use of electronics and AI.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have created a system that enables amputees to operate a robotic arm using their brain impulses rather than their muscles. This new technology is more precise and less intrusive than previous methods.

The majority of commercial prosthetic limbs now on the market are controlled by the shoulders or chest using a wire and harness system. More sophisticated models employ sensors to detect small muscle movements in the patient’s natural limb above the prosthetic. Both options, however, can be difficult for amputees to learn how to use and are sometimes unhelpful.

University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Zhi Yang shakes hands with research participant Cameron Slavens, who tested out the researchers’ robotic arm system. With the help of industry collaborators, the researchers have developed a way to tap into a patient’s brain signals through a neural chip implanted in the arm, effectively reading the patient’s mind and opening the door for less invasive alternatives to brain surgeries. Credit: Neuroelectronics Lab, University of Minnesota

The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota with the help of industrial collaborators has developed a tiny, implantable device that connects to the peripheral nerve in the arm of a person.  The technology, when coupled with a robotic arm and an artificial intelligence computer, can detect and decipher brain impulses, enabling upper limb amputees to move the arm only with their thoughts.

The researchers’ most recent paper was published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for the interdisciplinary field of neural engineering.

The University of Minnesota-led team’s technology allows research participant Cameron Slavens to move a robotic arm using only his thoughts. Credit: Eve Daniels

“It’s a lot more intuitive than any commercial system out there,” said Jules Anh Tuan Nguyen, a postdoctoral researcher and University of Minnesota Twin Cities biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate. “With other commercial prosthetic systems, when amputees want to move a finger, they don’t actually think about moving a finger. They’re trying to activate the muscles in their arm, since that’s what the system reads. Because of that, these systems require a lot of learning and practice. For our technology, because we interpret the nerve signal directly, it knows the patient’s intention. If they want to move a finger, all they have to do is think about moving that finger.”

Nguyen has been working on this research for about 10 years with the University of Minnesota’s Department of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Zhi Yang and was one of the key developers of the neural chip technology.

When combined with an artificial intelligence computer and the above robotic arm, the University of Minnesota researchers’ neural chip can read and interpret brain signals, allowing upper limb amputees to control the arm using only their thoughts. Credit: Neuroelectronics Lab, University of Minnesota

The project began in 2012 when Edward Keefer, an industry neuroscientist and CEO of Nerves, Incorporated, approached Yang about creating a nerve implant that could benefit amputees. The pair received funding from the U.S. government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (