Using thoughts to play computer games

[DanishDynamite]

Brain chip offers hope for paralyzed

A team of neuroscientists have successfully implanted a chip into the brain of a quadriplegic man, allowing him to control a computer.

Since the insertion of the tiny device in June, the 25-year-old has been able to check email and play computer games simply using thoughts. He can also turn lights on and off and control a television, all while talking and moving his head.

Very cool stuff!

I wonder if Interesting Ian has any "thoughts" on this matter?

 

[DanishDynamite]

I especially liked this bit:

He can also .... control a television, all while talking and moving his head

Seems like the ultimate remote control to me.

 

[Dymanic]

Here we have a research participant who is capable of controlling his environment by thought alone.

Now all he has to do is control his thoughts.

 

[patnray]

Historically such approaches have suffered from deterioration in response of the planted electrodes over time. The article was short on details. I hopoe that they have solved this problem and not just used more electrodes and computer power...

 

[DanishDynamite]

Historically such approaches have suffered from deterioration in response of the planted electrodes over time. The article was short on details. I hopoe that they have solved this problem and not just used more electrodes and computer power...

The eternal pessimist makes his contribution....

 

[patnray]

Although such devices have been a dream for a long time, past attempts have failed due to difficulties maintaining the interface between the nervous system and the electrodes. This, not the external processing, is by far the biggest impediment to developing such systems. Thus I was very interested in viewing the linked article. I was disappointed that it was a shallow piece that did not address this problem at all. Hence my previous post.

I have now had time to view the maker's web sight Cyberkinetics .They don't provide many details of how they are coping with these problems, but I did find the following encouraging info:

"The microelectrode arrays have been evaluated in dozens of implantations in feline sensory cortex and in primate motor cortex. The very large surface area of the array of penetrating electrodes, coupled with the array's very thin substrate, provides unusual chronic recording stability. Multiunit recordings have been made for periods of over three years, and identified single units have been recorded for as long as 9 months (the longest periods studied)."

This is, indeed, good news, and I hope they are able to continue to extend the lifetimes of the electrode sensors.