Physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking who suffers from Lou Gehrig‘s disease that has left him surrounded by machines unable to speak or move, has recently experimented with a device that is designed to allow him to communicate just by thinking.
The device, the size of a matchbox, called the iBrain, is part of a new generation of portable devices and algorithms intended to monitor and diagnose problematic conditions like sleep apnea, depression and autism. The device uses a single channel to pick up waves of electrical brain signals, which change with different activities and thoughts, or with the pathologies that accompany brain disorders. The iBrain is gaining attention as a possible alternative to expensive sleep labs that use rubber and plastic caps riddled with dozens of electrodes.
The device was invented by a team led by 32 year-old neuroscientist and chief executive of NeuroVigil Inc, Philip Low. “œThe iBrain can collect data in real time in a person‘s own bed, or when they‘re watching TV, or doing just about anything,“ Dr. Low explains.
With regard to the experiment with Dr. Hawking, Low says that “œThe idea is to see if Stephen can use his mind to create a consistent and repeatable pattern that a computer can translate into, say, a word or letter or a command for a computer.“
The team, travelled to Dr. Hawking’s office in Cambridge, England and once they fitted him with the device placed on a headband, asked him “œto imagine that he was scrunching his right hand into a ball,“ Dr. Low said. The algorithm was able to discern Dr. Hawking‘s thoughts as signals, which were represented as a series of spikes on a grid.
“œWe wanted to see if there was any change in the signal,“ Dr. Low said. “œAnd in fact, we did see a change in the signal.“ NeuroVigil plans to repeat the study in large populations of patients who suffer from the same disease as Dr Hawking and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Hawking himself said that “I am participating in this project in the hope that I can offer insights and practical advice to NeuroVigil. I wish to assist in research, encourage investment in this area, and, most importantly, to offer some future hope to people diagnosed with A.L.S. and other neurodegenerative conditions.“
The physicist has also worked with other inventors seeking to better elucidate his thoughts.
Source: New York Times
