This is nuts! BrainGate, a team of physicians, scientists, and engineers, including a neuroscientist in the Brown School of Engineering, has developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows people with paralysis to type using only brain control. No more blinking. According to the ProJo (2.22.17) three individuals — one with a spinal cord injury, and two living with ALS — have tested the new system:
The method, involving implanted electrodes and a computer, is a significant improvement over other systems, such as those that rely on the blink of an eye.
In a report published Tuesday in the journal eLife, whose editor is 2013 Nobel laureate Randy W. Schekman, the researchers said the latest technology supported typing “at the highest speeds and accuracy levels reported to date.” The new speeds were faster by a factor of three, the scientists reported.
The neuroscientist and lead clinical investigator, is Brown professor Dr. Leigh Hochberg whose numerous credentials and professional affiliations have somehow led to his hanging out with an orangutan. He seems like a pretty interesting person.