“Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” Dr. Philip Low said, “to have a mind like Stephen
Hawking’s be able to communicate even a little bit better?”
What a thought, Dr. Low. Dr. Hawking has arguably the greatest mind operating in the world today, proven by its fruitful presentation of physical theories and the popular book A Brief History of Time. Unfortunately his body has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and he has been paralyzed for the majority of his life. Despite these incredibly difficult circumstances, Dr. Hawking is still able to communicate using a pair of infrared glasses that detect twitches in his cheek, which takes several minutes to give any kind of response.
Until recently, that is.
Dr. Hawking now wears a black headband with a small device on it. This tool captures the brain signals used by the body to communicate muscular orders, thoughts and emotions, or different pathological sentiments. It then puts them through a "pasteurization" process through an algorithm specifically designed to do this kind of reading. The device needs an algorithm because the many folds of the brain and the skull distort the signals. So what is this thing? And is it working?
First, this machine is called the iBrain, and no, it's not an Apple product (although the name is counter intuitive in that regard). It was invented by neuroscientist Philip Low, who initially created it to remotely study sleep apnea, autism, and depression. The success of his product catapulted him to the CEO position of a growing business called NeuroVigil, based in San Diego. He hopes the ease and convenience of using the iBrain will give new insight into neurodegenerative disorders, in both depth and breadth. Another not-so-obvious use for devices like the iBrain is to determine the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs seeking FDA approval.
Dr. Hawking agrees with this logic and he supports the project. “Dr. Low and his company have done some outstanding work in this field,” Dr. Hawking said in a statement. “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.”(from NY Times article).
Top medical advisors from around the country have lauded the iBrain for its accuracy and ability to become a "window into brain architecture." "The preliminary data I have seen is compelling," says Ruth O'Hara of Stanford University Medical School.
Dr. Hawking will listen firsthand to Dr. Low sometime later this year to help determine the usefulness of the new device. He says that currently his cheek twitch is communicating faster, but sees great potential to change this position.
Other devices currently on the commercial market include sleep monitors that you can download an app for on your smartphone. So there is probably an iSleep app out there somewhere, next to iExercise and iEat. I'm actually not sure if those exist, but if they don't, they certainly will soon.
I have the greatest hope for the iBrain, and I look forward to the day when all people will neurodegenerative diseases will be able to have debates at real time, quick witted conversations, and a romantic talk with their partners.
I wonder what Stephen Hawking would say to that.
For more information, please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/ibrain-a-device-that-can-read-thoughts.html?ref=technology&pagewanted=all
What a thought, Dr. Low. Dr. Hawking has arguably the greatest mind operating in the world today, proven by its fruitful presentation of physical theories and the popular book A Brief History of Time. Unfortunately his body has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and he has been paralyzed for the majority of his life. Despite these incredibly difficult circumstances, Dr. Hawking is still able to communicate using a pair of infrared glasses that detect twitches in his cheek, which takes several minutes to give any kind of response.
Until recently, that is.
Dr. Hawking now wears a black headband with a small device on it. This tool captures the brain signals used by the body to communicate muscular orders, thoughts and emotions, or different pathological sentiments. It then puts them through a "pasteurization" process through an algorithm specifically designed to do this kind of reading. The device needs an algorithm because the many folds of the brain and the skull distort the signals. So what is this thing? And is it working?
First, this machine is called the iBrain, and no, it's not an Apple product (although the name is counter intuitive in that regard). It was invented by neuroscientist Philip Low, who initially created it to remotely study sleep apnea, autism, and depression. The success of his product catapulted him to the CEO position of a growing business called NeuroVigil, based in San Diego. He hopes the ease and convenience of using the iBrain will give new insight into neurodegenerative disorders, in both depth and breadth. Another not-so-obvious use for devices like the iBrain is to determine the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs seeking FDA approval.
Dr. Hawking agrees with this logic and he supports the project. “Dr. Low and his company have done some outstanding work in this field,” Dr. Hawking said in a statement. “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.”(from NY Times article).
Top medical advisors from around the country have lauded the iBrain for its accuracy and ability to become a "window into brain architecture." "The preliminary data I have seen is compelling," says Ruth O'Hara of Stanford University Medical School.
Dr. Hawking will listen firsthand to Dr. Low sometime later this year to help determine the usefulness of the new device. He says that currently his cheek twitch is communicating faster, but sees great potential to change this position.
Other devices currently on the commercial market include sleep monitors that you can download an app for on your smartphone. So there is probably an iSleep app out there somewhere, next to iExercise and iEat. I'm actually not sure if those exist, but if they don't, they certainly will soon.
I have the greatest hope for the iBrain, and I look forward to the day when all people will neurodegenerative diseases will be able to have debates at real time, quick witted conversations, and a romantic talk with their partners.
I wonder what Stephen Hawking would say to that.
For more information, please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/ibrain-a-device-that-can-read-thoughts.html?ref=technology&pagewanted=all
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