Patent ID: 7209788

Claim:
A real time closed loop brain-machine interface for restoring voluntary motor control and sensory feedback to a subject that has lost a degree of voluntary motor control and sensory feedback comprising: (a) an implantable microwire electrode array configured to be implantable into the subject's brain and adapted to acquire one or more brain-derived neural signals directly from the subject's brain; (b) an implantable neurochip adapted to communicate with the implantable microwire array and to filter and amplify the one or more neural signals; (c) a motor command extraction microchip adapted to communicate with the implantable neurochip and embodying one or more linear motor command extraction algorithms, the microchip and the algorithms adapted to extract motor commands from the brain-derived neural signals; (d) an actuator adapted to communicate with the motor command extraction microchip and to move in response to the motor commands and to acquire sensory feedback information during and subsequent to a movement; (e) a sensory feedback microchip embodying one or more sensory feed back information interpretation algorithms adapted to communicate with the actuator, the sensory feedback microchip adapted to form interpreted sensory feedback information; (f) a structure adapted to communicate with the sensory feedback microchip and to wirelessly deliver interpreted sensory feedback information via electrical signals directly to the subject's brain through the implantable microwire electrode; and (g) one or more power sources adapted to provide power, as necessary, to one or more of the group comprising: the implantable neurochip; the motor command extraction microchip; the actuator; the sensory feedback microchip; and the structure adapted to relay interpreted sensory feedback information to the subject.