A new non-invasive technology for portable brain-computer interface systems, that allows people with disabilities or paralysis to operate a robotic arm, motorised wheelchair or other prosthetic device, has been developed by University of Maryland researchers.
The non-invasive brain-computer interface technology uses a headset with scalp sensors that send signals from the brain to the device.
The technology may soon be available for people with severe neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke or spinal cord injury, to allow them to regain control of complex tasks without needing to have electrodes implanted in their brains.
During a study scientists placed an array of 34 sensors on the scalps of five participants to record their brains' electrical activity, using a process called electroencephalography, or EEG.
The study showed that electrical brain activity acquired from the scalp surface carries enough information to reconstruct continuous, unconstrained hand movements.
The research was supported by France's La Fondation Motrice and was published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
