Turning thoughts into actions
Barinaga, M.
Science 286(5441): 888-890
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 10577236 Document Number: 500499
New research suggests that paralysis victims could soon benefit from appliances that translate their thoughts into commands. Just a few years ago, thought-driven machines seemed to be an unattainable goal. The area of neuroprosthetic devices is now advancing quickly, however, thanks to an influx of talented researchers who believe that the brain may be more primed than anyone suspected to learn to treat a computer cursor or a robotic arm as an extension of the self. Pioneering communication devices, which are controlled by brain waves detected from outside the body or by electrodes within the brain, are now being tested on paralyzed patients. Research presented at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience suggests that more sophisticated devices enabling people to operate a robotic arm may be a thing of the near future.