Nathan Copeland has finally recovered his sense of touch after breaking his neck several years ago. It is important that his entire feelings are unreal and artificially generated using a robotic arm and a series of small electrodes installed in his brain by neural researchers of the Pittsburgh University of Medical Center. On Thursday, the journal “Science Translational Medicine” published a study and mentioned that this system entirely bypasses the natural sensory pathway of Copeland. His sensors had been severed in the accident, but the researchers managed to transmit electrical signals directly into his sensors & motor cortices. It enabled him not only to feel when anything crosses in front of the robotic arm but he has the ability to control his mechanical hand by using his thoughts.
Technically, his thoughts were initially moved through an external computer. This computer then decodes the data and translates it into operational commands in order to drive the robotic arm. Basically, it only took Copeland at least one month of special training for learning the perfect control of his new partner. Definitely, this new technology is in its most elementary form and researchers will not leave it only at the current stage. Researchers will initially find out to reduce the size of the equipment and integrate it into the body of the patient in order to develop much better understanding of the biological mechanisms. It has been considered an amazing development towards the betterment for motionless patients.