Working Mechanism

BrainGate consists of a sensor implanted in the brain and an external decoder device, which connects to some kind of prosthetic or another external object. The sensor is in the form of a microelectrode array, formerly known as the Utah Array, which consists of 100 hair-thin electrodes that sense the electromagnetic signature of neurons firing in specific areas of the brain, for example, the area that controls arm movement. The sensor translates that activity into electrically charged signals, which are then sent to an external device and decoded in software. The decoder connects to and can use the brain signals to control an external device, such as a robotic arm, a computer cursor, or even a wheelchair. In essence, BrainGate allows a person to manipulate objects in the world using only the mind. In addition to real-time analysis of neuron patterns to relay movement, the BrainGate array is also capable of recording electrical data for later analysis. A potential use of this feature would be for a neurologist to study seizure patterns in a patient with epilepsy.

BrainGate was originally developed by researchers in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University in conjunction with biotech company Cyberkinetics, Inc. Cyberkinetics later spun off the device manufacturing to Blackrock Microsystems, who now manufactures the sensors and the data acquisition hardware. The BrainGate Company purchased the intellectual property and related technology from Cyberkinetics and continues to own the intellectual property related to BrainGate.

The Brain Gate Neural Interface System is an investigational device. It is not approved for sale and is available only through a clinical study. The sensor consists of a tiny chip smaller than baby aspirin, with one hundred electrode sensors each thinner than a hair that detect brain cell electrical activity. A man with paralysis of all four limbs could directly control objects around him — open a simulated email, play a game of Pong, adjust the volume on the television set — using only his thoughts.

These pilot clinical trial findings, featured on the cover of Nature, mark a major advance in neuroscience, one that offers hope to people with severe motor impairments.