Toward advances in healthcare and welfare using the brain скачать в хорошем качестве

Toward advances in healthcare and welfare using the brain

The Tomita and Ushiba Laboratory is developing technologies called brain-machine interfaces, which connect people directly with machines. In everyday electrical appliances, information is transmitted instantly through the flow of electricity. But a similar thing happens when a person decides to move their hand. At that instant, electrical signals are generated in the brain, and they transmit orders to muscles via nerve cells, so the body moves. The Tomita and Ushiba Lab is using the power of electricity to exchange information like this, in research to help people with disabilities lead easier lives. Q. People with a neurological or muscular disorder account for 1-3% of the population in Japan. If we can develop technology that enables such people to operate machines by thinking, it would help to improve peoples quality of life. So were researching this kind of brain-machine interface. We have two main themes in this research. One is a type of brain-machine interface where characters move instead of the users hands and feet. This works because theres a part of the head called the motor area, which is related to body motion. What we do is part the hair near that area, and stick electrodes on the skin, to detect [the signals for??] motion. Through this research, its become possible to detect the thought of motion in the brain, and manipulate a character in a virtual world online. With cooperation from people with muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injuries, the Lab has succeeded in getting the characters to talk to others online, and to walk. Q. We have another brain-machine interface project, which is the control of motorized devices like this, for use by stroke patients. The idea is that when this is used repeatedly, itll move only when the brain activity pattern for moving it appears. So weve designed it to gradually enable the hand to be moved when you do this. Weve already got about four stroke patients collaborating in this project. When this was used for about six months, muscle signals appeared even in people who produced no signal at all in the beginning, enabling the fingers to be spread a little. So weve been able to confirm results like that. In our ongoing research, wed like to verify why this happens, and come up with ways to get the same result in a shorter time. The Tomita and Ushiba Lab is pioneering the development of new systems, with the aim of enabling people with disabilities to control appliances just by thinking, which would make life a lot easier. In this research, the unique features of Keio University are a big advantage. Q. At Keio University, to think about developing technologies like this, we have both a science and engineering faculty, which has the know-how, and a faculty of medicine, which has lots of knowledge and experience regarding what needs exist in healthcare and welfare, or ordinary rehabilitation, and what new technologies would meet those needs. The two faculties are on different campuses, about an hour apart. So theres a lot of coming and going between them, and a science and engineering lab has also been opened in the faculty of medicine. In this way, theres a lot of interchange between the two. I think that having the facilities for such research in medical engineering, which combines the strengths of the two faculties, is Keios biggest advantage.