Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have enabled a paralyzed 55 year-old woman named Jan Scheuermann with long-standing quadriplegia control a robotic arm using her own thoughts.

Scheuermann has been working with the team of researchers for over two years. The robotic arm allowed her to pick up, grasp and move objects by simply thinking of controlling her arm movements.

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"This has been a fantastic, thrilling, wild ride, and I am so glad I've done this." said Scheuermann.

"This study has enriched my life, given me new friends and co-workers, helped me contribute to research and taken my breath away. For the rest of my life, I will thank God every day for getting to be part of this team."

Scheuermann had been paralyzed since 2003. In 2012, she underwent surgery to be fitted with two quarter-inch electrode grids in her brain. Each grid has 96 tiny contact points.

The electrode grids were fitted in regions of the brain responsible for Scheuermann's right arm and hand movements. The grids were then connected to a computer to form a Brain-Machine Interface (BMI).

"10D control allowed Jan to interact with objects in different ways, just as people use their hands to pick up objects depending on their shapes and what they intend to do with them." said Jennifer Collinger, co-author of the research.

"We hope to repeat this level of control with additional participants and to make the system more robust, so that people who might benefit from it will one day be able to use brain-machine interfaces in daily life."

TagsRobotic Arm, Univeristy of Pittsburgh, U.S., Paralyzed, quadriplegia