Scientists at Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Florida presented about typing of the brain waves in to alphanumeric characters on a computer screen by implanting electrodes directly on the brain instead of placing them on the scalp. This way of directly implanting the electrodes offers results faster than using the electrodes on the scalp. These findings help many people as a way of communication who is suffering from neurological diseases or paralysis.
In the experiment done, the electrodes were directly implanted to the brain of the patients by which they were able to make letters appear on the screen by focusing on the letter when presented with a matrix of symbols. This experiments show a way towards developing a mind-machine interface and thereby devices that could be controlled only through mind like artificial legs and arms will surely be a great help to people suffering with such type of diseases.
The experiment done by the neuroscientists is, they have inserted electrodes inside their skulls which were placed on the surface of the brain through a surgical incision named ‘craniotomy’. The electrodes are then monitored electrical activity that is produces by firing nerve cells. When signals provided with a matrix of symbols using software and when the patients focuses on that particular letter, it had appeared on the screen. This technique is known as electrocorticography (EcoG) which serves well than the most used electroencephalography (EEG) in which electrodes are placed on the scalp but not in to the skull. Any devices related to brain waves require software and is likely in need for surgery to electrodes being implanted into the skull.