SHAFAQNA SCIENCE- In a laboratory in San Francisco, California, a woman named Anne sits in front of a large screen. It shows an avatar that looks like her. Thanks to a brain-computer interface (BCI), an avatar speaks for Ann when she thinks about a conversation – in her own voice.
According to Nature, In 2005, Anne suffered a brainstem stroke, leaving her almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak. Last year, neurosurgeon Edward Chang of the University of California, San Francisco, placed a grid of more than 250 electrodes on the surface of Ann’s brain, over areas that once controlled her body, face and larynx. When Ann imagined saying certain words, the researchers recorded her neural activity. They then used machine learning to create activity patterns that corresponded to each word and the facial movements Anne would use to say them if she could.
Also stated, this work was one of several studies in 2023 that fueled interest in implantable BCIs. Another study also translated neural activity into text at unprecedented speed. And in May, scientists reported that they had created a digital bridge between the brain and spinal cord of a man paralyzed in a cycling accident. BCI understood his movement intentions and created a spinal implant to stimulate the nerves in his legs and help him walk.
Source: Nature