He has been experimenting with the idea of collecting signals straight from the brain's motorcortex and using them to direct mechanical devices such as artificial arms and even wheelchairs.
It consisted of a 100-electrode panel about the size of a baby aspirin that was placed on the surface of the brain at a fold in the motorcortex where hand movement is controlled.
He discovered that if a person who has long been paralyzed thinks "move my arm to the left, " the region in the brain responsible for moving arms--the motor cortex--fires away as if everything were connected.