Syllabus: 

GS3: Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.

Context: Recently, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have developed a Brain Computer Interfaces that enabled a paralyzed man to control a robotic arm by imagining desired movements.

Developing stability in Brain-Computer Interfaces:

• The team studied how brain activity patterns change daily when imagining movement. By training AI to adapt to these shifts, the BCI remained stable over months. 
• Sensors implanted on a paralysed participant’s brain recorded movement intent without sending signals back, allowing the system to interpret imagined actions reliably.
• After training with a virtual robotic arm, the participant was able to use a real robotic arm to do tasks like picking up blocks, opening a cabinet and holding a cup under a water dispenser.
• To examine changes in brain activity over time, a paralysed participant was asked to imagine moving different body parts. Though unable to move physically, his brain continued to generate movement-related signals, which were captured by implanted sensors through the BCI.
• The study participant had tiny sensors implanted on the surface of his brain that could pick up brain activity when he imagined moving. 
• The sensors do not send pulses to the brain, but only read out the intent to move from the movement regions of the brain.
• The participant was asked to imagine simple hand movements while sensors recorded his brain activity to train the AI. 

• Starting with a virtual robotic arm for feedback, he eventually gained control over a real robotic arm, performing tasks like picking up blocks and using a water dispenser.

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) 

• Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are devices that create a direct communication pathway between a brain’s electrical activity and an external output.
• The sensors capture brain signals and transmit them to devices like computers or robotic limbs, 

Working of the Brain-Computer Interfaces

• Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) mimic the brain’s neural activity, capturing the electrical signals that occur during thoughts or decisions at synapses between neurons.
• Electrodes are placed near these neural sites to detect voltage spikes, measuring their frequency and strength.
• The data is processed through software using neural decoding, where AI and machine learning translate brain signals into intended actions.

• Robotic Limbs and Wheelchairs: By supplying a real-time neural feedback loop that rewires the brain, BCIs are capable of restoring movement, mobility and autonomy for paralyzed and disabled patients, heightening their quality of life. 
• Role: It can treat neurological and psychiatric conditions by modulating brain activity.
• Spellers: Non-verbal individuals, who may be stuck in a locked-in state following a stroke or severe injury, can use eye movement for computer-augmented communication. 
• Smartphone and Smart-Home Device Interface: In several studies, users have exercised control of social networking apps, email administration, virtual assistants and instant message services without physical motor skills. 
• Drones: In January 2025, a study was published where a BCI system was used by a human patient with tetraplegia to control a virtual quadcopter.