Masayuki Hirata, Ph.D., M.D., M.Eng. | Osaka University; Hirsohi Yokoi, Ph.D. | The University of Electro-Communications; Katsuyoshi Suzuki, M.Eng. | Nihon Kohden Corporation; Jason Palmer, Ph.D. | Ogino Memorial Laboratory
Competition Sponsor: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
Awardee Year: 2020

Physical disability due to various neurological diseases and spinal cord injuries enlarges dissociation between biological and healthy lifetime. We developed a fully implantable brain machine interface (BMI). This innovative BMI system records accurate brain activity (intracranial electroencephalogram), decodes the brain activity using artificial intelligence, and enables disabled people to manipulate communication assistive devices and robot arms. Now we are going to begin a pivotal clinical trial of the BMI for communication control. However, there are several issues regarding motor control. Rehabilitation and caregiving are standard methods to help physical disability. However, efficiency of rehabilitation is limited, and caregiving causes economic loss due to caregiving burden. This proposal helps to reduce caregiving burden, because the implantable BMI helps care recipients free from nursing care and to return to society, by manipulating communication assistive devices and robot arms by their selves. In addition, in globally progressing unprecedented ageing society, increased caregiving burden to elderly people seriously affects world economy. the implantable BMI may prolong healthy lifetime of elderly people by 5-10 years and promote reduction of caregiving burden to elderly people.

To learn more about this proposal email healthylongevity@nas.edu.

View this project poster, first displayed at the 2021 Global Innovator Summit.