Scientists at Tubingen University, Germany, have dared to prove the impossible - that the human brain and its impulses could turn the computer keyboard and mouse into extinct species
A WORLD where your computer's
mouse is rendered redundant and
the keyboard relegated to the
dustbin of history may sound like
an H G Wells fantasia. But
researchers from Tubingen
University in south Germany
could soon be turning this fiction
into fact.
"Most people can learn to
control computers by manipulating brain waves," says Boris Kotchoubey, a Tubingen researcher.
Tiny scalp electrodes are fixed on
to the person communicating
with the computer. The electrodes
are connected to an amplifier,
which measures the brain's
impulses and a computer which
analyses patterns received from
the brain. The analysed information is then fed back to the person in the
form of moving rockets or balls.
Researchers hope that the technique
genuinely benefits humanity rather than
remaining an interesting curiosity in
electronic entertainment. Very fancy
applications ranging from the construction of special fighter planes to neurological therapies are being envisaged.
However, the idea has its fair share
of critics too. Although the participants
in Tubingen are trying to attain a certain
degree of control over the two dimensional cursor, it is difficult for even those
who have achieved this to assure similar
results every time. "There is skepticism
because for some people, the work
seems to be a little abstract. The ability
to perform tasks can be unreliable and
there is no way of confirming exactly
what the subjects of research are doing,"
opines Kotchoubey. The fact that
amplifiers and the levels of training
required for basic two-dimensional
control, cost a lot, compounds the
problem further.
Even though replacing the mouse
and the keyboard with humans may take
some time, the technique could offer
exciting possibilities for the severely
handicapped as a viable communication-cum-word processing system.
Researchers are speculating that if
patients could be trained to manipulate
mental activity, certain neurological disorders could be 'learned away'.
Scientists in Britain, Germany and
the us are also studying the prospects of
treating schizophrenia, depression,
epilepsy and hyperactivity using this
technology. To combat epilepsy,
researchers at Tubingen University are
trying to train patients to block electrical activity in the brain that leads to a fit. Their experiments are bearing fruit.
Most patients have been able to master
the task of doing so and some have even
shown a decrease in the frequency and
intensity of fits.
"I think the technique could be very
effective if the patients practice the
relevant skills regularly," believes
Kotchoubey. And many of his patients
do enquire if they could purchase small
feedback units. Further research in the
field holds a lot of promise, particularly
in treating different neurological disorders. But thought-controlled fighter
planes: will these ever take-off?. Time
Will tell.
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