'Mental' typewriter revealed at trade fair

A computer controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated at a major trade fair in Germany.

The device could provide a way for paralysed patients to operate computers, or for amputees to operate electronically controlled artificial limbs. But it also has non-medical applications, such as in the computer games and entertainment industries.

The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface (BBCI) – dubbed the "mental typewriter" – was created by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin and Charité, the medical school of Berlin Humboldt University in Germany. It was shown off at the CeBit electronics fair in Hanover, Germany.

The machine makes it possible to type messages onto a computer screen by mentally controlling the movement of a cursor. A user must wear a cap containing electrodes that measure electrical activity inside the brain, known as an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal, and imagine moving their left or right arm in order to manoeuvre the cursor around.

New Scientist

Ok, so its still in plemininary stages, but still, how cool!? I remember hearing about this technology many years back, so its interesting to see how it develops. They want to produce one that doesn't require a cap on the scalp to make it more comfortable and portable. The possibilites for this are just immense

EDIT: sp

[edit on 10-3-2006 by john_bmth]

[edit on 10-3-2006 by john_bmth]

I've wanted this for so long...

no more crossin instead of shootin on fifa.

Next-next-generation systems will be NOTHING like they are today. I guarantee that.

I can imagine a million possibilities for videogames/remote control.

edit:: I knew it youtube.com...

and WHY AREN'T THEY PLAYING STREET FIGHTER. albeit very difficult. You got 8 directions and six action buttons VS 2 DIRECTIONS!!

use #3 Say me, the Cop, pulls you over because I think you are drunk. "Son, put on this helmet, I will hold this screen up and see how good your vision is. I play videogames skum, you got no chance."

This concept seems too practical to not be in use everywhere yet.

[edit on 11-3-2006 by PizzaCrust]