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Science and technology
科學(xué)技術(shù)
A mind to walk again
一個讓殘疾人重新站起來的偉大想法
A trial of thought-controlled robotic legs is taking its first steps
用思想控制的機器人腿已經(jīng)開始研制
ANYONE who saw Claire Lomas complete this year's London marathon on May 7th cannot fail to have been impressed by her grit and determination.
任何一個目睹Claire Lomas今年5月7日完成倫敦馬拉松比賽的人，都無法不被他的勇氣和決心所打動。
Ms Lomas, once a show jumper, was paralysed from the chest down by a riding accident in 2007, so finishing a marathon, albeit at walking pace, was a dramatic feat.
Lomas女士之前是一名障礙賽馬運動員，在2007年的一次比賽事故中，造成從胸部以下癱瘓，所以她能完成馬拉松比賽，即便是走路那樣慢，也是一次驚人壯舉。
Some of the adulation, however, should be reserved for the technology that helped her do so: a pair of bionic legs.
部分榮耀也得歸功于一項高科技：兩條仿生假腿。
Ms Lomas's legs were designed by Amit Goffer, an Israeli engineer who is himself paralysed.
Lomas女士的假肢是由以色列工程師Amit Goffer設(shè)計的，他本人也患有殘疾。
They have various modes and are controlled by a keypad worn on the wrist.
這兩條仿生假腿有幾種不同的模式，由手腕上的鍵盤控制。
Walking also requires the assistance of a pair of crutches.
走路需要一對拐杖。
But Dr Goffer's legs allowed Ms Lomas to travel the 42.195km of the marathon course in stages, over a period of 16 days.
但Goffer博士設(shè)計的假腿讓Lomas女士行走42.195公里，分時段完成馬拉松比賽，行程耗時16天。
That record may not last long, however.
但這個記錄可能不會持續(xù)太久。
Another engineer, José Contreras-Vidal of the University of Houston, in Texas, has what may prove an even better design:
另一名工程師，德克薩斯州休斯頓大學(xué)的José Contreras-Vidal已被證實設(shè)計出了更好的假肢：
a pair of bionic legs that respond directly to signals from the brain.
由大腦信號直接控制的仿生假肢。
The idea of controlling machines by thought is not new.
由大腦控制機器并不是最新的想法。在對人類與猴子的研究顯示，運用軟件從植入到人腦的電極采集信號，精確度極高，能夠帶動機器假肢。
Research both on people and on monkeys has shown it is possible for them to move mechanical limbs with great precision, using software which interprets signals collected by electrodes implanted in their brains. The problem with this approach is that implanting electrodes into a brain is a dangerous procedure—and, even if it succeeds and does no damage, the wires leading out of the skull to the computer open a passage into the body which can lead to infection.
但這種想法的問題是，將電極植入人腦是一個危險的程序，而且，即便試驗成功，并未造成損害，那些連接頭蓋骨與電腦的電線在身體上的創(chuàng)口也會導(dǎo)致感染。
Dr Contreras-Vidal's approach gets round these difficulties by employing electroencephalography, which measures those electrical signals from the brain that reach the scalp.
Contreras-Vidal博士運用腦電圖學(xué)，測試從腦部到達頭皮的各種電子信號，解決了諸多難題。
The recording electrodes can be carried by a skull cap, and nothing has to penetrate the skin.
這些記錄下來的電極存儲在一個頭蓋帽里，并不會滲透到皮膚里。
Such second-hand signals are not as precise as ones collected directly from the brain itself, and probably could not control the complex movements required of an arm and a hand.
這種二手信號并沒有直接從腦部收集的信號準確，可能也無法控制胳膊與手的復(fù)雜動作。
But experiments using EEG have allowed people to do simple things like pressing buttons on a computer screen by moving a cursor and clicking it, and operating the flippers on a pinball machine.
但用腦電圖學(xué)所做的實驗?zāi)茏屓藗冏鲆恍┖唵蔚氖虑椋热缫苿庸鈽税磩与娔X屏幕的按鈕，點擊它，開啟彈珠機器上的彈珠游戲。
That got Dr Contreras-Vidal thinking.
這讓Contreras-Vidal博士陷入深深地思考。
Despite appearances, walking is harder than playing pinball.
除了外觀，走路比玩彈珠游戲更難。
But it is easier than picking something up.
但比撿東西容易。
He therefore wondered if he could use EEG-based control to operate a set of mechanical legs.
他思考如果能運用腦電圖學(xué)控制一套假肢。
And, to cut a long story short, he probably can.
他或許真能做到。
Moreover, in the process he has reduced the number of electrodes in an EEG cap from the 30 required for pinball to a mere dozen. This means it will eventually be lighter, and easier to wear.
而且，在研發(fā)過程中，他將玩彈珠球游戲所需要的頭蓋帽電極數(shù)從30個減少到了僅僅12個。
He and a group of colleagues at the University of Maryland were able to do this by analysing what goes on in the brain when someone moves his limbs.
他和他馬里蘭大學(xué)的同事通過分析人在移動肢體時腦中思考的情況做到這一點。
They used a system of cameras to record the movement patterns of a set of able-bodied volunteers who were walking on a treadmill, and then correlated the result with the electrical signals detected simultaneously at their scalps.
他們用一套攝像系統(tǒng)記錄志愿者們在跑步機上的動作類型，并且把結(jié)果和從頭皮測試的電子信號連接。
Even a simple task, like wiggling a toe, engages many parts of the brain.
即便是一個簡單的任務(wù)，像擺動腳趾，也涉及到人腦好幾個部分。
These include the frontal cortex, the motor cortex, the somatosensory cortex and the part of the parietal cortex that regulates kinaesthesia.
包括額葉皮層、運動皮層、體感皮層和支配運動感覺的部分頂葉皮層。
By choosing sites carefully, the researchers were able to cover all these areas with as few as 12 electrodes.
通過仔細選擇測試部位，研究人員能夠用僅12個電極覆蓋到所有區(qū)域。
The next step, which they are now working on, is to turn the result into reliable instructions that can operate a set of legs.
下一步，也是他們現(xiàn)在正在研究的，就是把結(jié)果轉(zhuǎn)變成為可靠媒介，開發(fā)一套假肢。
These are made by Rex Bionics, a firm based in New Zealand.
這個研究是新西蘭的Rex生物公司在做。
They are a partial exoskeleton that allows a user to stand and walk independently, without crutches, and are normally operated by hand controls.
這對假肢是一部分外骨骼，能讓患者擺脫拐杖獨自站立與行走，之前是用手控制的。
To adapt them to thought control, a group of able-bodied people will first don the cap and perambulate in the legs around a laboratory, to refine the process.
為了能通過思想控制，研究人員讓一組健全的志愿者帶著頭蓋帽，在實驗室走動，不斷更新過程。
Then—with luck, some time this summer—a full-scale trial in collaboration with a group of paralysed volunteers will start.
幸運的是，這個夏天將開始對癱瘓志愿者實施。
For someone who has been crippled in an accident of the sort suffered by Ms Lomas, Dr Contreras-Vidal thinks it will simply be a matter of remembering how you used to walk, and then doing it. The legs will respond appropriately. For those paralysed from birth that is not possible, of course.
對那些在事故中變成殘廢的人，像Lomas女士，Contreras-Vidal博士認為它只是簡單的讓人記起之前是如何走路的，然后去嘗試走路。假肢的反應(yīng)非常好。
But even these unfortunates, he hopes, may be able to benefit.
但對那些一出生便是殘疾的人，肯定是不可能的。
They will understand what walking means and, with a bit of practice, that might be enough to provide the necessary brain activity.
雖然也很遺憾，他希望也能有所幫助。他們能明白走路是什么，通過練習(xí)，能夠激起必要的腦部活動。
Nor is mere locomotion the only benefit.
這項研究并不光是運動受益。
To be able to stand and walk restores a person's independence and dignity, and also helps improve his health.
站立與行走能重新給予一個人獨立與尊嚴，讓他更健康。
Which is why, during the trials, a group of doctors led by Robert Grossman of the Methodist Hospital, Houston, will monitor such things as the participants' bone density, respiratory function and cardiovascular systems, all of which are expected to improve when someone is no longer stuck in a wheelchair.
這也是為什么在實驗中，由休斯頓Methodist 醫(yī)院的Robert Grossman帶領(lǐng)的醫(yī)生們會監(jiān)視諸如骨密度、呼吸功能和心血管系統(tǒng)等，這些都能讓患者不再一輩子坐輪椅。
If the trial works, Dr Contreras-Vidal and his colleagues believe their technique will transform the lives of those with spinal injuries.
如果實驗成功，Contreras-Vidal博士和他的同事們將用之于脊椎受傷的人。
It might also act as a form of physiotherapy, to help victims of strokes restore the use of their legs.
可能通過物理療法，幫助中風(fēng)患者重新站起來，
And it will certainly save a lot of money.
也能省很多錢。
A set of bionic legs can cost as much as $150,000. But the lifetime cost of caring for a 25-year-old with severe spinal injury is around $3m.
一對仿生假肢花費大約15萬美元，然而治療一位25歲的嚴重脊椎損傷患者的花費大約為300萬美元。
If he can get up, go shopping and even go to work wearing one of Dr Contreras-Vidal's caps, then both he and the taxpayers will be hugely better off.
如果他能重新站起來，戴著Contreras-Vidal研制的頭蓋帽去購物，甚至是去工作，無論是他本人，還是納稅人，都會皆大歡喜的。
