(CNN) A man paralyzed from the neck down for almost a
decade has used his mind to compose whole sentences in real-time.
Scientists implanted two tiny sensors made up of
hair-fine electrodes - 4 x 4 millimeters - into the left side of his brain to
allow him to write his thoughts -- a skill called "mindwriting" by
researchers.
The man was 65 at the time of the study, which was
conducted nine years after he suffered a spinal cord injury in 2007.
Researchers asked him to imagine holding a pen and
paper and then try to write.
The sensors placed in the outer layer of his brain
detected the activity as he mentally visualized the movement. An algorithm then
decoded the motion for each letter, translating it into text which appeared on
a computer screen.
The man -- known only as T5 -- was able to
communicate by text at speeds rivaling those achieved by his able-bodied peers
texting on a smartphone, the team of researchers from Stanford University in
California said.
Using the "brain-to-text" system, T5
typed 90 characters -- or 18 words -- per minute -- more than
double the previous record for typing with such a "brain-computer interface".
An able-bodied person, on average, can type about 23 words per minute on
a smartphone, researchers said.
The findings brings new hope for millions around
the world who have lost the use of their arms and hands or their ability to
speak due to illness or injury, said Jaimie Henderson, professor of
neurosurgery at Stanford, in a statement.
Henderson said the new development could be life
changing for those who have suffered devastating injuries like brain stem
stroke, which afflicted Jean-Dominique Bauby, the author of the book "The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly."
"He was able to write this moving and
beautiful book by selecting characters, one at a time, using eye
movement," Henderson said.
Frank Willett, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research specialist and neuroscientist who worked with
Henderson, said the team worked on the project for around two years and added
that the department has "a long history of developing brain-computer
interfaces to help people with paralysis."
The innovation could one day allow people with
paralysis to rapidly type without using their hands, according to Krishna
Shenoy, an investigator at Stanford who jointly supervised the work with
Henderson.
"Considerable work needs to be done before the
technology is widely available, although the hope is that "it will likely
take at least years, but we hope not decades."
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