Big Data Being Used to Help Paralyzed Patients Regain Movement

In Ohio, researchers are using big data in a new way to help patients to regain some movement and function in their paralyzed limbs. While still in the research stage, they hope this new technology integrated with biomedics can help make this a reality for paralyzed patients. What makes this project most complex is that it collects almost 3 million data points every second from the patient’s brain and then translates it into movement commands, making it a huge undertaking of data collection and interpretation. Essentially, they are using the data from the patient’s brain and making the connection, bypassing the spinal cord and normal method of communication, directly to the affected limb via an electrode sleeve that tells the arm what to move and how to move it. The next challenge is how to get this new technology small enough so that patients can carry it with them on a belt.