A flicker of brain signals received by a 'mind switch' and 10, disabled people can do a lot of handy work!
EVEN severely disabled people have
reasons for hope with the unveiling
of a new device in Australia recently.
With the help of this device, disabled
people can one day use their brain waves
to operate stereos, lights, telephones
and even scroll through a computer
menu of more complex options. The
device functions by
picking up specific
electrical patterns in
the brain and using
them to control a
switch.
The 'mind switch'
was developed by a
team of researchers at
the University of
Technology in Sydney.
After testing 120 volunteers, the researchers came to a conclusion that at 95
per cent of the population needs no training
to operate the device.
The users just have to
close their eyes and relax for a short
while for the change in brain waves to be
picked up.
Les Kirkup, the physicist who developed the device says, "Its has been
known for over 20 years that there are
changes in the alpha wave (a component of the expend) when you relax but
no one thought you could use it. It's
been like gold lying on the surface that
people have walked over."
The signal was discovered by the team
two years ago. it
emanated from the
temporal and occipital
lobes at the back and
the base of the brain,
and lies in the frequency range of eight
to 13 hertz. The major
stumbling block for
the project has been
to reliably pick up
changes in the signal,
amplify them and use
them to control a
switch. The signal is
harnessed via electrodes attached to the
scalp. The signals strength fluctuates
between five to 15 microvolts and has to
be amplified about 150,000 times before
it triggers a switch. The researchers
believe they have found a second brain
signal at five to eight hertz in the theta
part of the EEG spectrum which can also
be used as a switch. People could
accomplish more complex tasks with
the help of two switches (New Scientist,
Vol 130, No 2028).
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