CLEVELAND, Ohio– Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland’s Louis Stokes VA Medical Center will be featured in a new documentary movie. The title is “I Am Human.” 

The film explores advances in artificial intelligence and the ethical questions that come with it.  

Doctor Robert Kirsch P.H.D is reminiscing about the work he did with Cleveland Veteran Bill Kochevar, who passed away in 2017.

“You know, the people with these levels of spinal cord injury have significant challenges in their daily life just to get out of bed and get moving in the day, and it’s very special that these people make the extra effort to work with us.” 

Dr. Kirsch collaborated with Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, to develop a system of muscle stimulation involving an implanted brain interface, which helped Bill become the first person with quadriplegia to have arm and hand movements restored. 

“We recorded signals that were related to arm and hand movement, and used some analysis to extract what his movement intention was.” 

Movie posters can now be found all across campus. 

“We were excited that they wanted to highlight the work that’s in Cleveland, we were excited for our participant Bill Kochevar, who was a pioneer in our research and the success of our work,” says Dr. Bolu Ajiboye, P.H.D, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering. 

Dr. Bolu Ajiboye is on the research team. He showed us the lab where he works on the rehab program: short for reconnecting the hand and arm to the brain.

“What we’re essentially doing is rerouting that information by taking it from the brain, through a set of computers, figuring out or deciphering what that brain activity means and then rerouting that information back into the arm,”

And everyone involved says they’re happy to see the film focus on how the research that is done here can possibly improve the quality of life for people who are paralyzed.

“I think this research or being apart of this research takes a special kind of person. And Bill Kochevar embodied that. He said himself that somebody had to do research because even if he didn’t benefit, he could see how the technology could benefit another person who has spinal cord injury down the road.”

“I Am Human” premieres at the Hanna Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland on Thursday, January 30th.