Humanity has long been fascinated (and scared) with the idea that someone or something could read our minds, be it a telepath, a computer, or aliens. Now scientists say they have developed a system that combines machine learning and a brain-computer interface , or BCI, for reading handwriting that takes place in the brain rather than on paper.
A team of scientists has been working with a 65-year-old man paralyzed from the neck down using sensors implanted in his brain to detect neural activity related to handwriting. While the volunteer imagined writing letters, that activity was transferred to an algorithm that translated it, in real time, to the text that was displayed on a screen.
write with the mind
The scientists say this method appears to be potentially more accurate than similar tests that have attempted to translate speech rather than handwriting . A 50-word dictionary is currently being worked on using machine learning methods by decoding speech. By using handwriting to record hundreds of individual neural reactions any letter and therefore any word can be written providing a true open vocabulary that can be used in most life situations for people with print difficulties. express or move.
The hope is that such a system could allow paralyzed people to type and communicate efficiently without using their hands. The Elon Musk-backed startup Neuralink is working on a similar brain implant technology. Restoring the ability of people who have lost their independence to interact with computers and other human beings is extremely important, and that is what projects like this one are achieving.
Trials have been a success.
So far, the system has been tested on a single patient. It builds on a previous trial in which participants implanted with neural sensors tried to move their arm to move a cursor on a screen to point to and click letters and spell words and sentences. This method allowed patients to type around 40 characters per minute, while the new handwriting method allows for rates of about 90 characters per minute, which is believed to be a new record for writing through this type of intelligence. artificial.
The researchers note that the rate is about the same as someone similar in age to the 65-year-old participant typing on a smartphone keyboard. Communication is fundamental to the way humans function in society. In today’s world of Internet-based communication, people with severe speech and physical disabilities can face significant communication barriers and potentially isolation, so this technology brings hope.
