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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- New technology developed in Utah is allowing a paralyzed man to use his mind to operate a computer and a mechanical arm.
The technology is called the Utah Electrode Array and was developed at the University of Utah.
Researchers say a computer chip that's about the size of a contact lens is implanted in the brain. The chip is connected to a computer, which reads selected neurons and translates the signals to move a computer cursor.
A study of the technology is featured in the journal "Nature" this week.
A Massachusetts company has implanted the chip in four patients. The study sites a quadripalegic who attempted tasks on the computer and was successful between 75 and 90 percent of the time.
The Utah Electrode Array was the first of several related devices developed at the University of Utah. Researchers hope to use these devices to send signals from the brain through a computer to move muscles.
------ Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
