How Bionic Limbs Are Changing Lives

[Music] I'm here in Zurich Switzerland for the side Babylon which is the first ever Bionic Olympics see the state-of-the-art and assistive technology [Music] thus I bath alone is the first competition up its code featuring teams from around the world showcasing the most advanced technologies for people with disabilities she's something about your hair that's five coaches and I control those votes is by electric forces from one person the wicked one is 360 that's cool where is it going to go from here I don't know how is your imagination but the axe was gonna be run today I can actually take a moon you know step by step there is no hesitation is one two three [Music] she just gives me the ability to do the simple things in life but you don't really think about for me it mean it means freedom new developments and scientific research and practical engineering are pushing boundaries making that freedom possible is phenomenal to be in this place to see the way that technology is transforming and changing people's lives [Music] [Applause] and some of the most advanced developments are actually happening inside the human body a team from Cleveland Ohio is using an implanted device that restores movement to those with severe spinal cord injuries by electrically stimulating their paralyzed muscles they have implants in both sides of my belly towards these wires are attached the Box here tells where my legs are and when to fire which muscles so below my arms without the system the only thing I can do is wiggle my big toe how did you become paralyzed I was a skiing action on a family trip in Lake Tahoe California and we were on of course the last run of the day I had a accident where my skis were caught under a branch and I flew out of the skis and hit a big granite boulder headfirst and fractured a bone in my neck and left me paralyzed immediately and with the system I would say this is over the top now for the first time since his accident mark is competing athletically pioneering this technology is dr. Ronald Triola a professor at Case Western Reserve University and the executive director of the VA advance platform technology Sunday we're at the verge of an era where robotic technology can make a real impact in people's lives our long-term goal is to make the technology as invisible as possible that means that we have some sort of man-machine interface that is completely internal and indistinguishable it's just stretching what it means to be human [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this technology has helped you win this race and do something really incredible what can you say about the way technology is sort of integrating itself into our lives right now what do you think that holds for the future getting deep into the human body getting technology into the human body is one of the last frontiers I think that we've tapped into it there's some great things not just but you've seen today but there's some great thing being done medically through technology as well and the technologies on display in Zurich are only the beginning researchers around the world have begun experimenting with implanting electronic devices directly into the human brain in Columbus Ohio we met with one of the world's foremost neurosurgeons dr. Ali Rezai now the past decade especially we've learned so much about human brain human nervous system that's now allow allowing us to use technology to help patients with nervous system disorders so it's a very active area of technology that's evolving today dr. Rezai is performing a procedure called deep brain stimulation on a patient suffering from Parkinson's disease sixteen years I mean pretty well [Music] deep brain stimulation or DBS involves a tiny stimulator that we implant in a part of the brain to shut down the tremor and to reduce the excessive movements that are caused by Parkinson's okay [Music] we made a small opening the skull okay is he waking up there good so now they're setting up the micro robot there that's gonna deliver the electrodes into the brain we're gonna go about eight centimeters into the brain to get to our target area Tara you have a very good brain there is the electrode enters the brain dr. Rezai is able to listen to the neural activity in order to locate the area causing the tremors [Music] you see that activity here see as we enter the Parkinson's area that background changes like entering Grand Central Station a very strong background a lot of noise that's the chaos in the brain causing the partisans is tell us why the disgust [Music] you feel any different there Terry yes hemorrhoid else is cleared Virginia's going down raising your right hand for us please hold up Tara mobile please [Music] how's that feel to you a game he has over 80 percent improvement okay you good with this yes okay good okay Terry we're done the operations nearly instantaneous 80% improvement displays the power of deep brain stimulation the procedure can be used for conditions from epilepsy to chronic pain and scientists are exploring its use to treat severe depression in Dublin Ohio we saw an even more advanced brain implant system [Music] Ian Burkhart a quadriplegic is another patient of dr. resides after suffering a traumatic injury he was implanted with one of the most cutting-edge neuro technologies just a few days after finishing my freshman year of college I went on vacation with some friends and dove into a wave in the ocean and I didn't know where I was diving was actually only a few feet deep so I initially hit my head extremely hard and that caused me to break my neck I had lost all function from about my elbows down and all feeling from the middle of my chest down I can't move in any of my individual fingers or open and close my hand so after I had my accident I was always looking towards what type of technology could help me in my everyday life and then one thing led to another and I decided to get brain surgery and be the first person to move my hand with my own brain ian is the only human being who's had this technology applied that allows him to move his hands using Staats a small port on Ian's head opens a direct channel between his brain and a computer the computer interprets Ian's brain signals his thoughts and then links those thoughts to an external wearable garment so basically the sleep that Ian wears that allows him to move and this is called brain computer interface when Ian thinks about moving the computer delivers electrical impulses to his high-tech sleep allowing him to use his hands in ways that haven't been possible since his accident hi I'm Charlie three two one [Music] after four years of not moving a flicker he started moving a little bit two years ago and now is able to perform most to scale movements and right now he's able to do those movements much faster than he did before [Music] [Applause] [Music] restoring functionality through brain computer interfaces has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of those with disabilities and could even open up entirely new avenues of human experience right now there's a convergence of so many elements in terms of technological innovation this is really opening up a whole new window into possibilities so you're able to record brain activity and Link it within milliseconds to result in a purposeful movements that can be potentially means by which we can be able to detect other elements beyond movements for example sensations index hankie right now is a fantastic time for us because we're learning so much more more than ever before about the human brain one of the final frontiers [Music] you

Channel: VICE News

Views: 229,929

Rating: 4.9520779 out of 5

Keywords: bionic Olympics, prosthetic arm, Wilbert L. Cooper, VICE News, VICE News Tonight, VICE on HBO, news, vice video, vice news 2019, protesthic, prosthetic leg, implanted technology, health and disease, disabilities, Cybathlon, Switzerland, Cybathlon 2016, mind-controlled computer games, power wheelchair races, zurich switzerland, robotic exoskeletons, robotic arm, vice on HBO season 5, 3d printing, Bionic hand

Id: OdTk1L2aNvs

Length: 11min 53sec (713 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 24 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Wiener_Amalgam_Space]

Unidirectional brain implants are getting really advanced (brain -> electronics), but we're not far off from a breakthrough in bidirectional brain implants where the electronics can talk to the brain via optogenetic methods.

Imagine using your cybernetic hand to dress yourself and actually being able to feel the texture of the fabric like you would with a real hand that's covered in skin. Now imagine being able to dial up the resolution with a thought and being able to feel individual fibers.

There's going to be a short window (where cybernetics outpaces full-mind digitization) where the future is gonna be wild.

[u/CatherineDuffy1]

Few more up-gradation will make it perfect.

[u/Calixtas_Storm]

This is incredible

[u/SUSAN_IS_NOT_A_BITCH]

If you don't want to watch the whole video, at least watch this segment until after the surgery

[u/Hitokkohitori]

Cyberpunk isn’t as far away

[u/androidSan]

Man if this technology can help people so much, I can't even imagine how Elon musk's neural link will transform the life of these people.