CSU Research Could Turn Brain Waves into Remote Control

CSU Research Could Turn Brain Waves into Remote Control
From: Denver Post - 11/05/2011
By: Karen Auge

Colorado State University (CSU) researchers are developing technology that
will enable people with severe neurological impairments to complete tasks by
changing what they are thinking about. The researchers are analyzing
differences in brain waves from one thought to another and classifying them
in data that can be used by a computer to complete different actions, says
CSU professor Chuck Anderson. The researchers collected data from volunteers
and asked them to think about specific actions, such as making a fist. The
researchers recorded the changes in brain activity with each thought, and
printed out the results at the end of each session. On the printouts, the
researchers are "looking for patterns, to see if we can classify what the
pattern is" for the thoughts behind the simple activities, says CSU professor
Patricia Davies. The researchers plan to convert the wave patterns into
numbers that will enable to them to develop software that can perform
functions based on recognizing specific brain patterns. Anderson says the
military and the video game industry are interested in using the technology.

Read the entire article at:http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19268818