CRISISBOOM

“As soon as we have understood the electroencephalography patterns produced by the groups of neurons in the brain, we can map the brain activity to any commands for any device, like a television or a motorised system for the home,” said Arnau Espinosa Manzanal of the Research and Development department, g.tec Guger Technologies Developed within a European research project, this technology makes home electronics more accessible. A user can navigate through various on-screen menus by simply focusing attention on the commands.This way even severely disabled people can compose text messages to communicate with others in social networks on the Internet.

With further improvement, this system will allow to remotely control robotic assistants and even personal transportation vehicles such as electric wheelchairs.

“The system will be further developed to easier integrate with many more systems and programs, and also to use additional electrical and mechanical impulses from the whole body, because some patients still have residual motor functions and they’re comfortable also using them, and this system can be designed to include such signals,” concluded Christoph Hintermüller.

Motor disabilities of people arising from any origin have a dramatic effect on their quality of life. Some examples of neurologic nature include a person suffering from a severe brain injury resulting from a car collision or individuals who have suffered a brain stroke. For years, the severely disabled have learned to cope with their restricted autonomy, impacting on their daily activities.