Mark's Notebook


	If you believe everything you read, better not read. - Japanese Proverb

Controlling computer with thoughts a reality

Houston Chronicle

Thursday 9 December 2004, 11:53 am
Keywords: Computer Topics , News Articles , Health Topics

WASHINGTON - Four people were able to control a computer using their thoughts and an electrode-studded "thinking cap", U.S. researchers say.

They reported Monday that their set-up could someday be adapted to help disabled people operate a motorized wheelchair or artificial limb.

While experiments have allowed a monkey to control a computer with its thoughts, electrodes were implanted into the animal's brain. This experiment, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, required no surgery and no implants.

"The results show that people can learn to use scalp-recorded electroencephalogram rhythms to control rapid and accurate movement of a cursor in two dimensions," Jonathan Wolpaw and Dennis McFarland of the New York State Department of Health and State University of New York in Albany wrote.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/2935862

Mark says: Yawn. This is nothing new. They did not "control the computer" with their "thoughts." They just directed a cursor around the screen. Years ago, there were head-mounted devices that would track your eye movements to move the cursor around the screen. They worked by tracking subtle muscular movements in the head as you moved your eyes around. The only real drawback to these particular systems is that you looked like the uber-geek wearing the helmet.