— Biocompatible graphene transistor array reads cellular signals — Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals…
— Researchers find some smartphone models more vulnerable to attack — New research from North Carolina State University shows that some smartphones specifically designed to support the Android mobile platform have incorporated additional features that…
— MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving — In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000…
— Researchers use CT to recreate Stradivarius violin — Using computed tomography (CT) imaging and advanced manufacturing techniques, a team of experts has created a reproduction of a 1704 Stradivarius violin. Three-dimensional images of…
— Terminator-style info-vision takes step towards reality — The streaming of real-time information across your field of vision is a step closer to reality with the development of a prototype contact lens that could potentially provide the wearer…
— Scientists invent long-lasting, near infrared-emitting material — Materials that emit visible light after being exposed to sunlight are commonplace and can be found in everything from emergency signage to glow-in-the-dark stickers. But until now,…
— Team of researchers develop world's lightest material — A team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology have developed the world's lightest material - with a density of 0.9 mg/cc - about…
— Nanoparticles improve solar collection efficiency — Using minute graphite particles 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, mechanical engineers at Arizona State University hope to boost the efficiency - and profitability…
— Inexpensive new instruments test building sealants under real-world conditions — Sealants, like weather stripping, are what separates the inside from the outside of a building, byproviding a barrier that prevents water from seeping in, for example, or heat from…
Humans can control a cursor with power of thought
The act of mind reading is something usually reserved for science-fiction movies but researchers in America have used a technique, usually associated with identifying epilepsy, for the first time to show that a computer can listen to our thoughts. In a new study, scientists from Washington University demonstrated that humans can control a cursor on a computer screen using words spoken out loud and in their head, holding huge applications for patients who may have lost their speech through brain injury or disabled patients with limited movement.
By directly connecting the patient's brain to a computer, the researchers showed that the computer could be controlled with up to 90% accuracy even when no prior training was given.
The study, published 7 April, in IOP Publishing's Journal of Neural Engineering, involves a technique called electrocortiography (ECoG) - the placing of electrodes directly onto a patient's brain to record electrical activity - which has previously been used to identify regions of the brain that cause epilepsy and has led to effective treatments.
More recently, the process of ECoG has been applied to brain - computer interfaces (BCI) which aim to assist or repair brain functions and have already been used to restore the sight of one patient and stimulate limb movement in others.
The study used four patients who suffered from epilepsy. Each patient was given a craniotomy - an invasive procedure used to place an electrode onto the brain of the patient - and was monitored whilst undergoing trials.
During the trials, the electrodes placed on the patient's brain would emit signals which were acquired, processed, and stored on a computer.
The trials involved the patients sitting in front of a screen and trying to move a cursor toward a target using pre-defined words that were associated with specific directions. For instance, saying or thinking of the word 'AH' would move the cursor right.
At some point in the future researchers hope to permanently insert implants into a patient's brain to help restore functionality and, even more impressively, read someone's mind.
Dr Eric C Leuthardt, the lead author, said: 'This is one of the earliest examples, to a very, very small extent, of what is called 'reading minds' - detecting what people are saying to themselves in their internal dialogue.'
This study was the first to demonstrate microscale ECoG recordings meaning that future operations that require this technology may use an implant that is very small and minimally invasive.
Also, the study identified that speech intentions can be acquired through a site that is less than a centimetre wide which would require only a small insertion into the brain. This would greatly reduce the risk of a surgical procedure.
Dr Leuthardt continued, 'We want to see if we can not just detect when you're saying dog, tree, tool or some other word, but also learn what the pure idea of that looks like in your mind. It's exciting and a little scary to think of reading minds, but it has incredible potential for people who can't communicate or are suffering from other disabilities.'
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Is there a doctor in the house to check on this bridge?
Light-speed nanotech: Controlling the nature of graphene
Aeroacoustics study helps control noise from unmanned aerial vehicles
Satellite helps make transportation of dangerous waste safer