Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Standford University have managed to decode neural signals using sensors and use them to display thoughts as text on a screen in real-time. The researchers believe their progress could help people with paralysis.
In this study, the researchers collaborated with a 65-year old participant who had a spinal cord injury. In a new post, the researchers say they have implanted two sensors into the part of the brain that controls the hand and arm. A machine-learning algorithm then recognized the patterns his brain produced with each letter using signals that sensors picked up from individual neurons.
The researchers also have plans to incorporate point-and-click navigation and are planning to work with participants with speech impairment, such as people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis neurological disorder. Although this is promising, it is not a clinically viable system at this moment as it needs more testing.
“Our results open a new approach for BCIs and demonstrate the feasibility of accurately decoding rapid, dexterous movements years after paralysis,” wrote the researchers in a report published in Nature journal. You can go through the linked Nature journal to learn more about the technical aspects of the research.
