A brain implant capable of writing thoughts

Researchers at Stanford University have developed an artificial intelligence brain implant system capable of interpreting brain impulses and translating them into text in real-time to help people write with their minds. They achieved this by implanting two small electrodes in the area of the brain that controls the hands, arms, and fingers into an algorithm that translates the signals into letters, which appear on a computer screen.

One of the major findings of the research was that, although patients had lost mobility many years ago due to spinal cord injury, they reported that their brains had not lost the ability to write because they remembered how to do it. With this device, they were able to type up to 90 characters per minute with 94.1% of accuracy. Such figures, the authors mention, are comparable to the speed at which individuals type on their smartphones, which is 115 characters per minute, while a healthy adult can type about 23 words per minute, making these advances highly significant.

Although thought-powered communication is still in its early stages of development and research, this device could help people with motor disabilities, such as paralysis, to communicate through thoughts. Nevertheless, the researchers plan to take the project to a second level, involving a large number of participants, and even plan to test it with people who have lost the ability to move and speak(1,2) .

Written by Dr. Carmen de la Rocha D. in Plant Biotechnology, CINVESTAV- Irapuato -Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering, ITC –Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science, IBERO, León -Supervisor of the Department of Development CidVID -Professor of Subject B, CUCS UdeG Member of the National System of Researchers, level I.

Sources: 1. Willet R FR, Avasino DT, Hochberg LR, Henderson JM, Shenoy K V. High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting. Nature. 2021;593:249–54. 2. Brain Computer Interface Turns Mental Handwriting into Text on Screen [Internet]. Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 2021. Available from: https:// www.hhmi.org/news/brain-computerinterface-turns-mental-handwritinginto-text-on-screen