"What we're trying to do is make new neural connections from the brain to the arm," Jackson said.

The lab has also developed a wheelchair that a person can drive by using brain signals, rather than moving a joystick or pressing buttons.

Such brain-computer interfaces require that the user wear an EEG cap to measure brain signals, but setting one up is very complicated. Jackson hopes to make it accessible for anyone to use in their own home.

"You can imagine how much faster the therapy would go if you were doing it all the time," she said.