A team of scientists has managed to make paralyzed people operate a tablet by implanting a brain-computer interface in their brain.
Last year, a study from the scientific effort called BrainGate reported that a brain-computer interface (Brain-computer interfaces = BCI) allowed a paralyzed person to type up to eight words per minute, just by thinking. Now, according to new results from a BrainGate2 clinical trial, the same BCI was used to help three participants operating a tablet computer.
All three participants suffer loss movements in their hands because amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig disease) or spinal cord injury. The brain implant and a series of microelectrodes were placed in all of them as part of his clinical trial. BrainGate2. In this particular study, the neural signals expressed by the implant were routed through a protocol, providing a virtual mouse. This "mouse" was paired with a Google Nexus 9 tablet via Bluetooth.
Από κάθε συμμετέχοντα ζητήθηκε να δοκιμάσει επτά κοινές εφαρμογές στο tablet: ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο, συνομιλία, πρόγραμμα περιήγησης στο Web, κοινή χρήση βίντεο, streaming μουσικής, πρόγραμμα για καιρικές συνθήκες και πρόγραμμα συγκέντρωσης ειδήσεων. Οι ερευνητές ρώτησαν επίσης τους users if they wanted any additional apps, then added the keyboard app, shopping at Amazon and a calculator. Participants reached up to 22 clicks per minute and typed up to 30 characters per minute, in email and text programs.
In addition, all three participants really enjoy using the tablet.