New Modern Neurointerface

Scientists from Stanford University developed an interface with its own brains allowing to enter text at a record speed of 12 words a second. Neurointerface developed by the scientists, works due to a multi electronic sensor, which is implanted into brain. The sensor can read the signals from motion cortex. As a rule, these signals correspond to hand movements made while using a computer mouse. The interface interprets these signals into program instructions for controlling the cursor, thus allowing to choose letters from the keyboard on the screen.

An advanced version of the interface showed successful results in the experiment with two rhesus monkeys with implanted sensors. Before the experiment the monkeys were trained to type letters on the computer screen using a cursor. During the experiment, the monkeys were supposed to type abstracts from The New York Times and play by William Shakespeare “Hamlet”.  

Monkeys managed to type these texts without any efforts, choosing letters on the screen keyboard. In particular, one monkey reached a speed of 7,8 words a minute and another even broke the record, having typed 12 words per minute as Hitech.newsru.com informs.

According to the researchers, such a speed is enough for «conscious conversation». It means that an improved interface, originally supposed for the handicapped, is ready for full-scale usage. However, scientists note that paralyzed people, which are tremendously interested in the interface, are likely to type at a slower speed. It can be explained by the time they need to think the information over considering its spelling, monkeys did not spend time on the things mentioned above.

To solve this problem scientists intend to improve the interface, includi