For victims of spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions, new research at the UW-Madison Biomedical Department could offer hope for a better life. Professors Justin Williams and Charles Garell have developed what they call a brain computer interface that allows people to control a simple computer program using only their brain.
In experiments, the professors attached their device to electrodes in the heads of patients with epilepsy. These electrodes typically allow doctors to monitor their patients' brain activity, but Williams and Garell used the electrodes to allow the patient to communicate with the brain computer interface through the activity in their brain.
Patients tried different physical actions, such as closing their eyes, repeating a sentence or sticking their tongue out, as well as thinking about certain sounds or songs, hoping to find an action that would stimulate the appropriate brain activity to move a cursor on a screen. With practice, they were able to move the cursor onto a target, eventually being able to manipulate the cursor just by focusing on what they wanted it to do.
\At first, they may say, 'I'm thinking about hearing a sound,"" Williams told The Capital Times. ""A few days later they say, 'I'm thinking about moving the cursor up.""
Robert Radwin, Biomedical Department chair at UW-Madison, sees potential benefits of this technology in helping disabled people operate mechanical devices.
""This is very important because this technology has the potential to aid people with spinal cord injuries and people who have disabilities, and it will allow them to use their thoughts to control the environment and their mobility and to access the world around them,"" Radwin said.
This technology could also help people operate prosthetic devices, UW-Madison engineering Professor Frank Fronczak said.
""If someone could really effectively measure what's going on in the brain and interpret it accurately ... it would allow [a patient] to operate other devices,"" Fronczak said.
Another possible use of the brain computer interface is victims of paralysis could use this technology to bypass the damaged areas of their brain and regain use of their own limbs, Williams said.
