Thursday, January 31, 2013

Paralyzed Mom Controls Robotic Arm Using Her Thoughts | Redux

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Paralyzed Mom Controls Robotic Arm Using Her Thoughts

robotic hand gripper
robotic hand gripper by rileyporter
License (according to Flickr): Attribution License
Excerpt:

After years of paralysis, the one thing Jan Scheuermann wanted was to feed herself. Now, thanks to a mind-controlled robotic arm, Scheuermann has done just that. Stricken with spinocerebellar degeneration since 1996, Sheuermann, 52, has progressively lost control of all motor function from the neck down. By implanting two quarter-inch-by-quarter-inch electrodes in her brain and connecting them to a sophisticated robotic arm, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have allowed the mother of two to manipulate objects by using only her thoughts through a brain-computer interface, or BCI. Before the surgery that connected some 96 electrode prongs in her brain, the Pennsylvania woman told researchers she wanted to do something very specific if all went well. “They asked me if there was something special I wanted to do,” Sheuermann said.

Keywords:

robotic arm Sheuermann Pittsburgh Medical Center brain Boninger mind-controlled robotic arm sophisticated robotic arm University 96 electrode prongs in her paralyzed man control BCI Dr. Michael Boninger Brown University study 58-year-old stroke victim Scheuermann Medical Center blog mechanical arm robot arm mind-controlled arm robotic arms spinocerebellar degeneration BCI research researchers brain-computer interface motor function Jan Scheuermann quarter-inch-by-quarter-inch electrodes cinnamon latte technology Pennsylvania woman sophisticated technology Pittsburgh researchers ABC News complicated tasks senior investigators quantum leap electrical activity biggest change exciting endeavors cutting-edge technology read emotions everyday life dimensions chocolate thoughts objects time degrees Quadriplegics sophistication

People:

Sheuermann

Overall Sentiment: -0.0451206

Relevance: 0.813557

SentimentQuote
0.0836326“They asked me if there was something special I wanted to do,” Sheuermann said.
0.0602662“They asked me if there was something special I wanted to do,” Sheuermann said. “And I said my goal is to feed myself a bar of chocolate. And I did that today.”
0.159464“For me, it’s been one of the most exciting endeavors I have ever undertaken,” Sheuermann wrote ...
0.153“For me, it’s been one of the most exciting endeavors I have ever undertaken,” Sheuermann wrote on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center blog. “Being with a team of scientists and using cutting-edge technology that makes me the only person in the world who can scratch her nose with a robotic arm, well, that’s thrilling.”
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 4
  • Aggregate Sentiment: 0.4563628
  • Mean: 0.1140907
  • Standard Deviation: 1.7320508075689

Dr. Michael Boninger

Overall Sentiment: 0.0918722

Relevance: 0.657179

SentimentQuote
0.106279“The biggest change,” Boninger said, ...
0.0377882“The biggest change,” Boninger said, “is the sophistication with which we’ve learned to interpret electrical activity in the brain.”
0.194301Boninger said the software has improved by a “quantum leap” ...
0“I wouldn’t say we have decoded the brain,” Boninger said. ...
0.0503826“I wouldn’t say we have decoded the brain,” Boninger said. “But we are getting closer. We can’t read emotions but we can interpret motions the brain wants the body to make.”
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 5
  • Aggregate Sentiment: 0.3887508
  • Mean: 0.07775016
  • Standard Deviation: 1.7320508075689

Jan Scheuermann

Overall Sentiment: 0.0213074

Relevance: 0.551325

Key:

  • Aggregate Sentiment is meant to be an indicator of an individual's overall sentiment.
  • The Mean is meant to be an indicator of an individual's average comment sentiment.
  • The Standard Deviation, when there are enough quotes, will indicate an individual's consistency of sentiment (i.e. a Standard Deviation of 0 would mean they were very consistent in their sentiment and 1 would mean they were very inconsistent).

Note that quote stats are likely to be meaningless beyond the aggregate score due to the tiny sample size. However, they are always provided just in case you find something useful there.

Additional Info:

Organization: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Overall Sentiment: 0.0846799

Relevance: 0.544589

Organization: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Overall Sentiment: 0.240682

Relevance: 0.46115

Organization: University of Pittsburgh

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.412627

Organization: Brown University

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.36086

City: Pittsburgh

Overall Sentiment: -0.186958

Relevance: 0.428121

StateOrCounty: Pennsylvania

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.341484

Disambiguation: Location | PoliticalDistrict | AdministrativeDivision | GovernmentalJurisdiction | USState | GovernmentAgencyReferences:
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