High-performance brain-to-text communication through handwriting
Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to restore communication skills to people with spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This system has the potential to work more quickly than previous BCIs, and it does this by utilizing one of the oldest means of communication we have: handwriting.
Willett FR et al, "High-performance brain-to-text communication by handwriting. Nature. 12 May 2021. doi: 10.1038 / s41586-021-03506-2
Commentary
Focusing on the parts of the brain that are activated during elaborate movements, this study recorded the signals generated when participants wrote letters and trained a machine-learning computer algorithm to help paraplegics after spinal cord injury identify the neural patterns that represent individual letters.Currently, the system is being tested on a single patient, but it is said to be more accurate and efficient than existing communication BCIs, and will allow paralyzed people to type without using their hands.
In the future, Dr. Shenoy's team plans to test the system on people with speech and communication disorders, such as those with advanced ALS.
