Boston-based Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems continues to make headlines with it's cutting edge work on neural implants. In a study published in the journal Nature this week, the researchers describe how two paralyzed patients with a surgically implanted neural device successfully controlled a computer and, in one case, a robotic arm, using only their thoughts. The brain-computer interface used in the study consists of a tiny silicon chip containing 100 electrodes that record signals from hundreds of neurons in the motor cortex. A computer algorithm then translates this complex pattern of activity into a signal used to control an external device. We've been hearing about cognitive-based neuroprosthetics for years in monkeys and this is the first time such results have been achieved with neural implants in humans. Check out Nature for videos of the experiment or read Emily Singer's article at MIT Tech Review.