Electrode Thinking Cap

People with cerebral palsy and other neurodegenerative conditions may be able to operate a computer or prosthetic device using the power of thought.

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US researchers have reported people could control a computer using their thoughts and an electrode-studded ‘thinking cap’.

The experiment required no surgery or implants, as the thinking cap was used to detect EEG activity from the scalp and record the brainwaves of each participant.

During the experiments, the volunteers faced a video screen while wearing a cap that held 64 electrodes against the scalp to record their brain activity. A special computer program translated the brain signals into a meaningful directive of what the users wanted to do.

Researchers commented: “The impressive non-invasive multidimensional control achieved in the present study suggests that a non-invasive brain control interface could support clinically useful operation of a robotic arm, a motorised wheelchair, or a neuroprosthesis.”