Monkey's thoughts propel robot, a step that may help humans

From Health & Science - International Herald Tribune:

For the first time, brain signals have been used to make a robot walk. If Idoya could talk, she would have plenty to boast about. On Thursday, the 12-pound, 32-inch monkey made a 200-pound, 5-foot humanoid robot walk on a treadmill using only her brain activity. She was in North Carolina, and the robot was in Japan. It was the first time that brain signals had been used to make a robot walk, said Dr. Miguel A. L. Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke University whose laboratory designed and carried out the experiment. In 2003, Nicolelis's team proved that monkeys could use their thoughts alone to control a robotic arm for reaching and grasping.

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