A brain implant could help people type — using just their minds.
Two people with paralysis were able to type strokes on a virtual keyboard using an implant that decodes attempted finger movement, with one patient typing up to 80% as quickly as an able-bodied person, according to a new study.
Brain-computer interfaces have been shown to help patients communicate, often by tracking their eye movement or by decoding brain activity associated with speech or handwriting. However, researchers say that some patients are more familiar with a typical keyboard and may prefer to use that to communicate. That’s what researchers from Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute and Brown University attempted in their new study, published in Nature Neuroscience.
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