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Science & Technology

Monkey's brain controls 'avatar' movements

By T.K. Randall
February 20, 2014 · Comment icon 8 comments

Can one person control the body of another ? Image Credit: CC 2.0 Andrew Mason
Scientists have managed to enable one monkey to control the movements of a second 'avatar' monkey.
In an experiment that is eerily reminiscent of James Cameron's blockbuster movie Avatar, researchers have found a way to translate movement commands from one animal and manifest them in a second.
Two monkeys were used in the research, a 'master' monkey with a brain implant and a second 'avatar' monkey with electrodes in its spine. By scanning the neural activity of the master monkey the system was able to electrically stimulate the spinal cord of the avatar monkey, making it move as though it were the master monkey's own body.

"The goal is to take people with brain stem or spinal cord paralysis and bypass the injury," said Dr Ziv Williams. "The hope is ultimately to get completely natural movement, I think it's theoretically possible, but it will require an exponential additional effort to get to that point."

Source: BBC News | Comments (8)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Paranomaly 11 years ago
That's cool and freaky.
Comment icon #2 Posted by seeder 11 years ago
That's cool and freaky. Its bizarre isnt it? For sure the future will be a very strange place with all the technological progress we are making
Comment icon #3 Posted by MJNYC 11 years ago
I can't even read this. This is just wrong on every level.
Comment icon #4 Posted by seeder 11 years ago
science is what science does
Comment icon #5 Posted by Angelxheart 11 years ago
have they anytin else better to do
Comment icon #6 Posted by psyche101 11 years ago
Ohhhh way cool!!!!
Comment icon #7 Posted by psyche101 11 years ago
have they anytin else better to do You feel helping crippled people walk again is a waste of time? I'd beg to differ.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Scheming B 11 years ago
You feel helping crippled people walk again is a waste of time? I'd beg to differ. More importantly, robot bodies w/ lasers


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