Jan Scheuermann was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder 13 years ago and is paralysed from the neck down.
However, doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center were able to implant electrodes in her brain so she could operate the advanced robotic arm.
For Scheuermann and a team of researchers accomplishing these seemingly ordinary tasks demonstrated for the first time that a person with longstanding quadriplegia can manoeuvre a mind-controlled, human-like robot arm in seven dimensions (7D) to consistently perform many of the natural and complex motions of everyday life.
In a study published in The Lancet, researchers described the brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and training programs that allowed Scheuermann of Whitehall Borough in Pittsburgh to intentionally move an arm, turn and bend a wrist, and close a hand for the first time in nine years.
"This is a spectacular leap toward greater function and independence for people who are unable to move their own arms," said investigator Andrew B Schwartz in a statement.
"This technology, which interprets brain signals to guide a robot arm, has enormous potential that we are continuing to explore. Our study has shown us that it is technically feasible to restore ability," said Schwartz
More From This Section
In 1996, Scheuermann was a 36-year-old mother of two young children. Within two years, her legs and arms progressively weakened to the point that she required a wheelchair, as well as an attendant to assist her with dressing, eating, bathing and other day-to-day activities.
She was diagnosed with spinocerebellar degeneration, in which the connections between the brain and muscles slowly, and inexplicably, deteriorate.
A friend pointed out an October 2011 video about another research study in which a man who sustained a spinal cord injury that left him with quadriplegia, moved objects on a computer screen and ultimately reached out with a robot arm to touch his girlfriend.
After screening tests to confirm that she was eligible for the study, co-investigator and UPMC neurosurgeon Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, placed two quarter-inch square electrode grids with 96 tiny contact points each in the regions of Scheuermann's brain that would normally control right arm and hand movement.