A clinical roadmap for brain-neural machine interfaces: trainees' perspectives on the 2013 international workshop

Brain-neural machine interfaces (BNMIs) are systems that allow a user to control an artificial device, such as a computer cursor or a robotic limb, through imagined movements that are measured as neural activity. They provide the potential to restore mobility for those with motor deficiencies caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, or limb amputations. Such systems would have been considered a topic of science fiction a few decades ago but are now being increasingly developed in both research and industry. Workers in this area are charged with fabricating BNMIs that are safe, effective, easy to use, and affordable for clinical populations.