Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new, more precise way of placing microelectrodes on the surface of the
brain to enable patients to turn thoughts into action. Led by Bradley Greger, a professor of bioengineering, the "Brain Carpet" as it's called, represents a "modest advance" in techniques already in use. The Brain Carpet makes use of smaller microelectrodes, and also employs many more than are usually used. The method involves sawing off the skull of the patient, then placing 32 electrodes about 2mm apart on the surface of the brain. Though they've conducted tests on just a handful of patients -- all epileptics -- the technique, they believe could also be used to help people control their
prosthetic limbs much more effectively. The electrodes allow detection of the electric signals in the brain which control arm and hand movements. In the tests, patients have successfully controlled a cursor on a computer screen following the operation, and they see applications for brain-machine interface devices in the future. There's no word on when the Brain Carpet will move from the research to reality phase, but the group's findings have just recently appeared in the journal
Neurosurgical Focus.
posted Jul 31st 2009 8:41PM
Get out of my head!
and get into my heart haha
Yay pandaaaa
call now and get a free roomba for your brain carpet!! (limited to the first 100 customers)
jeenkies
its scarry to see how far technology has advanced D:
No really. Even with a double he can only get like 80 gigs tops :D
The picture was both disturbing and thought provoking. The thought that all our thoughts and emotions are held in such a squelchy looking mess of blood vessels and brain tissue. Just not used to seeing it "in the flesh".
You need to watch more horror movies. =p
Yes, we're like nasty looking computers.
Oh crap, MICHAEL DELL IS OUR GOD.
thought provoking, that was a pun right?
Could this be done laproscopically? (sp?)
I think sawing the skull off is a little radical...
It probably could be but the problem with that is if a vessel gets torn during surgery you can't see anything through the laproscope, making it nearly impossible to stop the bleeding. And with the brain you can't just flush the blood out so you can see like you could with other parts of the body. Not only that it would take a long time to then open up the skull to fix the problem. With other laproscopic procedures (i.e. abdominal cavity stuff) if the laproscope isn't able to do the job or you can't see anymore you can easily grab a scalpel and get access in about a minute-in a serious emergency the scars might not look very nice but it takes almost no time to get into the abdominal cavity.
In most simple surgeries (i.e. removing something whether it's the appendix or a baby) the part that takes the longest amount of time isn't getting in to remove whatever you need to remove but all the stuff afterwards where you have to make sure you haven't left any bleeding vessels or mess behind, then suture left everything back together correctly.
At any rate drilling into the brain is to get laproscopic access holes wouldn't really be much less invasive than just taking off part of the skull even if it sounds a lot more extreme.
It's not like they're doing a craniotomy just to place these--the patients are already undergoing the craniotomy to treat severe epilepsy
They call it carpet, so I'm guessing it has a supporting structure to keep them in position, a lattice, shoving that through a small opening then unrolling it requires professional carpenters not surgeons :) but even so there might not be room or it would not work, I mean unrolling in a sticky place under pressure between the brain and bone - would not be easy.
one step more closer to brain controlled devices xD
cool
Woo baby, That's my Alma Mater. Go UTES!!
I see what you did there.
That's my Dura Mater!
Damn science, you scary!
Am I the only one who cringed at "[the] method involves sawing off the skull of the patient"? Something about the wording of that makes it sound particularly awful.
Now imagine a team of grad students doing just that to cat after cat as they work out these techniques :/
"Lisa? You cut the patient's brain in half. That's ok, try again."
No, actually that wording sounds tempting.
How long until I can get my cranium sawn off, fitted with a chromed bezel with locking lugs, and a removable stainless dome, so I can pop the hood and tinker with my own mind-machine interface at will?
(Surely I'm not the only one who with a twisted, nerdtastically romanticized view of our cyberpunk future?)
If I can overclock my brain...I might be willing to let them into my head.
cccccccccccccccccccreepy!
well hello clarisse...
Wow, seeing brain at the top of the page freaked me out. Then I got curious. Now I'm just scared. Brain hacking coming soon? I guess you could say this is already a method of "head hacking"...
Re-neducation ?
no thanks.
Reeducation through labor
very interesting and scary piece of innovation if misuse.
man the picture gives me goosebumps
I look forward to leaving the meat behind while I play video games.
Getting my skull sawed off you say? Where do I sign up?!
SCARY!!
I wonder if they will ever be able to convert thoughts and dreams into a video :)
YES! There will be hours of enjoyment watching kittens run under rainbows!
Hmmm. Harry Harrison and Marv Minsky's book "The Turing Option" gets closer.
So this is why Amazon redacted 1984
Cut the green wire! No the yellow one! No green! Aw !@#$ it, just take a guess.
I don't know why, but suddenly my brain itches.
Did is mosquito have a snacky snack? Actually I hear the brain has no sensory neurons to perceive an itch. Maybe you just need to go potties.
Still just electrical signals meaning something but nothing. Signal detection = something. Not anything I care about. Once you translate the neuron language, call me. This just isn't anything.
You're going to be waiting a pretty long time for that call. Everyone's brain speaks a different language. That's because there are almost an infinite number of ways to wire-up billions of neurons. Their firing pattern is what produces thought and since everyone's brain has different neurons connected in different ways, the "I want to eat pizza" thought produces a unique and different firing pattern for each person. The idea of controlling a cursor on a computer screen is a one-way interface. You train your brain to control the cursor. Which means you alter your neuron's firing pattern in a certain way so that the computer can understand those signals that you've trained yourself to emit as mouse movement instructions. It's not really the computer reading your mind. It's more like the mind learning how to control a computer's mouse cursor but with brain signals instead of physical arm movements.
wow volunteer to get my head sawed open
Doing that will means that you are now prone to EMP weapon. When such a pulse of electromagnetic wave occur, you will be fried. The flesh part will survive and the electric part will be dead. Not sure if there will be a feedback to the flesh part thou.
That's funny!
I just lost a piece of my brain in the Fallout 3 add on: Point Lookout.
thoughts into actions.
just dont imagine killing anybody
I do that all the time.
In the craziest ways, talking electrodes and human body, imagine i put you in a suit that controls your muscles via electrodes.
Either i control your Epiglottis so air can't reach your lungs and let you suffocate.
Or i make your hand clamp your throat with so you strangle yourself, wich would not be possible without the electrodes.
The police would not know what theyre looking at :), i know it's an elaborate way to kill someone. Thank you creative brain.
I'm currently learning how to do this. I will not use it to murder or threaten someone, it's purely research. A hunger for knowledge.
sweet talk will get you everywere
So THAT's how they jailbreak an iBrain.
Forget the 6-axis controller, this is the new way to play FPS.
So when do we get full-on cyberbrains and prosthetic bodies?