Scientists presents Brain Cap that converts thoughts into motion

If you are a spider-man movie or comics fan you must remember Dr. Octavius with his four tentacle arms, which he uses at will to fight the Spider-man. With the advancements in science and technology, it doesn't seem far when people would exploit such technology for accomplishing things. Scientists at University of Maryland have come up with a non-invasive brain computer interface called "Brain Cap" technology.

Brain Cap

In simple words, "Brain cap" helps people to convert thoughts into motion. The team is headed by Jose 'Pepe' L. Contreras-Vidal, Associate Professor of Kinesiology. He with his team has been working on this technology for past 18 months. "Brain Cap" uses EEG [electroencephalography] to read human thoughts and translate them into movements of computer. Recently, they have been able to use EEG brain signals to reproduce 3-D movements of hip joints, knee and ankle while observing the body movements during treadmill walking.

Researchers tracked the neural activity of people over the treadmill for an year. The data collected was used to develop an "anklebot" that stores all the information regarding movements around the ankle and assists the partially paralyzed in making the right move. According to the scientists, virtual reality games can be used to train the partially disabled to move their prosthetic organs through the brain.

They have been working with other universities and organizations on various possible applications of this technology. The project has received $1.3 million grant from NSF to develop prosthetic arm, which not only moves at the command of the brain but also gives the feeling of " touch." The technology has a huge potential in terms of its applications, especially for victims of injury and stroke.

Brain Cap offers various advantages over other brain computer interfaces. It requires no surgery and has produced results comparable to the invasive techniques in which electrodes are implanted in the human brain. In comparison to previous non-invasive brain control interface systems, this technique requires substantially less training time, which is just a 40-minute training session.

Via: University Of Maryland