Tablet for the paralyzed
Brain implants allowed paralyzed people to use tablets
Marina Astvatsaturyan, Echo of Moscow
Devices that control neuronal activity can establish the digital life of people deprived of mobility. We are talking about devices that intercept neuronal signals and turn them into commands for tablet computers so that a paralyzed user can access the Internet, communicate via text messages or listen to music, as one of the subjects in a study published by the journal PLOS One (Nuyujukian et al., Cortical control of a tablet computer by people with paralysis).
People paralyzed below the neck either as a result of spinal cord lesions or due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) were able to control a conventional tablet thanks to a system of electrodes called BrainGate2.
This is the very first study that demonstrated that with paralysis, you can use the brain–computer interface to control a standard computer without special applications. Two men and one woman were implanted with a set of electrodes in the area of the motor cortex of the brain. Brain implants reacted to the activity of neurons indicating the intention of the subjects to move the mouse cursor. These signals were then sent to a virtual mouse, which was connected to the tablet wirelessly. The mere intention to move the cursor was enough for three study participants to complete seven common digital tasks, including scrolling through websites on the Internet and sending e-mail. The female participant studied the orchid care website, ordered products from an online store and played a digital piano (she is a musician by profession). "The tablet has become second nature to me, it is very intuitive," a press release from Brown University Brain-computer interface enables people with paralysis to control tablet devices conveys her words.
Another participant exchanged text messages with friends, and, as he admitted to the scientists, he got a lot of pleasure from it, because he managed to insert jokes into his messages. In addition, the system allowed two subjects to chat with each other in real time. Clinical trials of the BrainGate2 system will continue with 13 participants in the current study, and, according to one of its authors, Leigh Hochberg from At Brown University, work is underway to improve the speed and reliability of the neural signal decoding program. In addition, several universities have joined a consortium to create a wireless and fully implantable device with a battery, similar to heart rate drivers and cochlear implants.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru