Health
Brain-Computer Interface Helps Immobilized Patients Control Devices with Thoughts
Researchers at Aalto University are developing a brain-computer interface to help immobilized patients control devices with their thoughts.
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland are developing a new generation of devices and methods that will allow immobilised patients to control instruments using only their brain activity. The technology is based on the multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation (mTMS) system, which stimulates the brain to produce limb movements.
The team is adapting the mTMS technology into a brain-computer interface (BCI) that can help patients with neurological conditions such as spinal cord injuries to control devices with their thoughts. The BCI will combine mTMS with EEG technology from Bittium Biosignals to provide real-time data streaming and input to the mTMS system.
The mTMS system can then stimulate another region of the patient’s brain, guided by the EEG readings. The project is funded by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation.
Source: Aalto University