Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands managed to enable a severely paralyzed ALS patient with locked-in syndrome to type words on a computer screen by thinking what letters her hand wants to touch. Previously, such advanced brain-computer interface systems required wires to power the implants and to read and amplify the signals they’re gathering. The system the UMC Utrecht team used utilizes a wireless transmitter, helping to prevent infection, making it more comfortable, and easier to manage for her caretakers.
An electrode array was positioned onto the motor cortex and wires from it were run down to the wireless transmitter placed similarly to a pacemaker. A nearby antenna on the patient provided communication wih the implanted system, and a computer did the signal processing.
The result is that the woman in the study was able to type two letters per minute, but this is just the beginning. Since she normally relies on eye tracking to communicate, she managed begin utilizing both interface modes at the same time to speed up her typing.
Check out this short video demonstrating the technology:
Study in The New England Journal of Medicine: Fully Implanted Brain–Computer Interface in a Locked-In Patient with ALS…
Source: UMC Utrecht…