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Brain implants could restore paralyzed patients’ arm movements

In a groundbreaking development, a paralyzed Swiss man tests AI-enabled technology that translates his thoughts into nervous system signals, enabling arm and hand movement through brain-computer interface and spinal implant.

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12 months ago

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WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — A paralyzed Swiss man has become the first person to test a new technology that reads his thoughts using AI and then transmits signals through his own nervous system to his arms, hands and fingers in order to restore movement.

The treatment, a combination of a brain-computer interface and a spinal implant, had previously allow a paraplegic patient to walk again, a breakthrough that was published in the scientific journal Nature in May.

But this is the first time it’s being used for “upper extremity function,” Onward, the Dutch company behind it, said Wednesday.

“The mobility of the arm is more complex,” surgeon Jocelyne Bloch, who carried out the implantation procedures, told AFP.

Though walking comes with its own challenges — notably balance —  “the musculature of the hand is quite fine, with many different small muscles activated at the same time for certain movements,” she said.

The patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a 46-year-old who lost the use of his arms after a fall. Two operations were carried out last month at the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland.

The first involved removing a small piece of cranial bone and inserting in its place the brain implant, which was developed by the French group CEA-Clinatec and measures a few centimeters in diameter.

In the second, surgeons placed a stimulator roughly the size of a credit card developed by Onward inside the patient’s abdomen, and connected it through electrodes to the top of his spinal column.

The brain-computer interface (BCI) records brain signals and decodes them using artificial intelligence to make sense of the patient’s intentions, acting as a “digital bridge” to send these instructions on to the spinal cord stimulator.

“It’s going well so far,” said Bloch, who co-founded Onward and is a consultant for the company. “We are able to record brain activity, and we know that the stimulation works,” she said.

“But it is too early to talk about what progress he has made. ”

Still in training

The patient is still in the training phase, teaching his brain implant to recognize the different desired movements.

The movements will then have to be practiced many times before they can become natural. The process will take a few months, according to Dr. Bloch.

Two more patients are scheduled to participate in this clinical trial, and the full results will be published later.

Spinal cord stimulation has already been used in the past to successfully move paralyzed patients’ arms, but without reading their thoughts by pairing it with a brain implant.

And brain implants have already been used so that a patient can control an exoskeleton. The Battelle research organization used a brain implant to restore movement in a patient’s arm — through a sleeve of electrodes placed on the forearm, stimulating the muscles required from above.

“Onward is unique in our focus on restoring movement in people who have paralysis by stimulating the spinal cord,” the company’s CEO Dave Marver told AFP, adding the technology could be commercialized by the end of the decade.

Brain implants were long trapped in the realm of science fiction, but the field is now rapidly growing thanks to firms like Synchron and Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

They are working on having paralyzed patients to control computers through thought, restoring for example the ability to write.

— AFP

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International

UN agency for Palestine refugees reports six staff killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza school

An Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza has killed six UNRWA staff members. The Israeli military claimed the school was being used by Hamas for military purposes, while the UNRWA condemned the strike and called for the protection of civilian infrastructure.

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2 days ago

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13 September 2024

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(Photo: X/UNRWA)

Six employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza, the agency has reported.

The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians, was struck on Wednesday (12 Sept).

Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported a total of 18 deaths in the attack.

Among those killed were the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members who were assisting displaced people.

The UNRWA stated that this was the highest single-incident death toll among its staff since the conflict began and revealed that this was the fifth time the school had been hit since the start of the war.

The school is home to approximately 12,000 displaced individuals, mainly women and children.

Since the beginning of the assault on 7 October, at least 220 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza.

In response to the attack, the UNRWA condemned the strike, stating, “No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared.”

The agency emphasized the need to protect schools and other civilian infrastructure, declaring, “They are not a target,” and reiterated its call for all parties to refrain from using schools or their surroundings for military purposes.

Israel’s military acknowledged responsibility for the airstrike, claiming it was a “precise strike on terrorists” who were allegedly operating from the school.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the strike targeted a Hamas command and control center embedded within the school.

The IDF also claimed that steps had been taken to minimize civilian harm, including using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence gathering.

The IDF accused Hamas of systematically using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, in violation of international law.

They alleged that nine of those killed were members of Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, including three who also worked for the UNRWA.

Israel called on the UNRWA to provide details of the workers killed in the strike, claiming no response had been given.

In response, UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma stated that the Israeli military had not requested a list of the staff who were killed.

She also noted that the names published by the Israeli military had not previously been flagged to the agency by Israeli authorities.

Touma reiterated that UNRWA regularly shares staff lists with host governments, including Israel as the occupying power in Gaza.

Touma further emphasized that UNRWA had consistently called for independent investigations into claims that civilian infrastructure was being used for military purposes.

She said the agency could not independently verify whether the school was being used by Hamas.

UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the airstrike, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law.

“What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (12 Sept).

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Guterres’ remarks, defending Israel’s actions as part of a “just war against terrorism.”

The escalation of violence follows Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and led to the abduction of 251 Israelis who were taken to Gaza as hostages.

Since the conflict began, more than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including nearly 16,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

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International

Singaporeans to require Electronic Travel Authorisation for UK travel from 8 January 2025

From 8 January 2025, Singaporeans must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK. The digital permit costs £10 (S$17), is valid for two years, and allows multiple visits of up to six months.

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2 days ago

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13 September 2024

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From 8 January 2025, Singaporeans travelling to the United Kingdom will need to apply for and obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before their trip.

According to a UK government press release, tourists from Canada, the United States, and 47 other countries and territories will be required to obtain an ETA before entering the UK.

This new requirement is part of the UK’s border security measures aimed at enhancing security and deterring illegal immigration.

The ETA application costs £10 (S$17), and Singaporean travellers can submit their applications starting from 27 November 2024 via the official UK government website or mobile app.

Once approved, the ETA will be digitally linked to the applicant’s passport and will remain valid for two years, allowing multiple short stays of up to six months per visit.

Applications generally take about three days to process, and applicants will be notified by email if their request has been approved or rejected.

The ETA is mandatory for all modes of transport, including air, sea, and land, such as via the rail tunnel between Britain and France. It is also required for transit passengers who are changing planes at UK airports.

However, the UK ETA does not grant entry to the Republic of Ireland or other European nations.

By April 2025, this requirement will apply to all visitors who are currently able to travel to the UK without a visa, covering over 80 jurisdictions globally.

According to the UK ETA website, the introduction of this system aims to strengthen border security by preventing illegal immigration, combatting organised crime, and identifying potential threats to national security.

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