SEVERELY disabled people who cannot operate a motorised wheelchair may one day get their independence, thanks to a system that lets them steer a wheelchair using only their thoughts.
Unlike previous thought-communication devices, the system does not use surgical implants. Instead a skullcap peppered with electrodes monitors the electrical activity of its wearer’s brain. Early trials using a steerable robot indicate that with just two days training it is as easy to control the robot with the human mind as it is manually.
“It’s a very positive step,” says Paul Smith, executive director of The Spinal Injuries Association in London. “The psychological benefits it would offer are huge.”…
