Stroke survivors who had ceased to benefit from conventional rehabilitation gained clinically significant arm movement and control by using an external robotic device powered by their own brains, according to a study published in Most patients retained the benefits for at least 2 months after the therapy sessions ended, suggesting the potential for long-lasting gains, Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, director of the Non-Invasive Brain Machine Interface Systems Laboratory at the University of Houston, shares in a media release from the University of Houston. Move on Demand The trial involved training stroke survivors with limited movement in one arm to use a brain-machine interface (BMI), a computer program that captures brain activity to determine the subject’s intentions and then triggers an exoskeleton, or robotic device affixed to the affected arm, to move in response to those intentions. The device wouldn’t move if intention wasn’t detected, ensuring subjects remained engaged in the exercise.