Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell have demonstrated a cutting-edge BCI that allows a person with paralysis to control another person’s hand and even feel what she feels. In the experiment, a man with a spinal cord injury used implanted sensors in his motor cortex, along with AI decoding and flexible electrode patches, to send signals to another volunteer’s arm, enabling her to perform tasks such as pouring water.
This inter-human neural bypass opens new possibilities for cooperative rehabilitation, where users with different degrees of mobility can work together: the paralysed man helped a woman with partial paralysis improve her hand strength, while experiencing control and touch again himself. The trial suggests that by closing both movement and sensation loops, the technology could restore more natural sensorimotor function and perhaps motivate the body to repair itself. However, the study is still limited to a small group and long-term outcomes remain to be seen.
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