Skip to main content

“The future of brain-controlled devices”

CNN interviews UW CSE’s Raj Rao:

“In the shimmering fantasy realm of the hit movie ‘Avatar,’ a paraplegic Marine leaves his wheelchair behind and finds his feet in a new virtual world thanks to ‘the link,’ a sophisticated chamber that connects his brain to a surrogate alien, via computer.

“This type of interface is a classic tool in gee-whiz science fiction. But the hard science behind it is even more wow-inducing …

“At the root of all this technology is the 3-pound generator we all carry in our head. It produces electricity at the microvolt level. But the signals are strong enough to move robots, wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs – with the help of an external processor.

“Harnessing that power ‘opens up a whole new paradigm for us as human beings,’ says neuroscientist Rajesh Rao of the University of Washington …”

Read the full article here.