Last October, I wrote about a brain-computer interface developed by researchers at Keio University in Japan, which can pick up the electrical activity of the brain associated with planning movements and use it to control the movements of a Second Life avatar.
The same team now reports, in a very badly written press release, that a 41-year-old man with a disabling muscular disorder has used a slightly more advanced version of the same device to communicate via Second Life's voice chat function. (This film clip on YouTube is almost identical to the one in my previous post, except that towards the end it includes some footage of the disabled man using the device.)
The press release does not specifiy which muscular disorder the man is afflicted with, but presumably he is otherwise unable to communicate in any way. Even if this is not the case, this device, or something similar, could be used to enable "locked-in" patients to communicate.
Brain & Behavior
Technology
Having problems commenting? (UPDATED)