Monkey Controls Robotic Arm with Brain
Cutting-edge research shows animals learned brain signal manipulation to feed
  themselves 
From: MedlinePlus - 05/29/2008

Relying solely on brain signal manipulation, monkeys have learned to operate
human-like robotic arms to feed themselves, US researchers reported on May
28th. 

This cutting-edge development in the field of neuro-prosthetics was made
possible by linking up neural pathways in the voluntary movement region of
the monkey's brain to a specially designed computer software program. In
turn, the monkey's mental "firings" were turned into fluid and natural
prosthetic movements - enabling arm-restrained primates to grip and eat
marshmallows and fruit with a claw-like robotic hand. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_65146.html

Links:
Andrew B. Schwartz
http://www.neurobio.pitt.edu/faculty/schwartz.htm
http://motorlab.neurobio.pitt.edu/people.php?name=andy

MotorLab
http://motorlab.neurobio.pitt.edu