Twitter with Your Brain

How cool is this? University of Wisconsin doctoral student Adam Wilson recently sent a Twitter message by using his mind instead of his hands. Using a cap equipped with electrodes that monitor brain activity, he simply concentrated on the letters he wanted “typed” and then focused on the word “twit” at the bottom to post the tweet. “Spelling with my brain,” was one of the first messages sent.

The way it works is interesting. All the letters are displayed on the computer screen, and they flash individually. When the letter on which you are focusing flashes, your brain registers that change. This momentary change in brain activity is read by the electrodes in the cap, and the corresponding letter is typed on the computer screen.

Wilson wants to use this technology with patients suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, a neurological condition that paralyzes people but leaves their mind intact. It provides an efficient way for them to communicate in a normal fashion, and at a distance. Twitter also provides the opportunity for these individuals to interface online with people who wouldn’t necessarily know that they are disabled, which could be empowering.

While they don’t know when this might be commercially available or how much it would cost, it does have the potential to change the way we interface with computer systems in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if I could just type this blog using only my thoughts instead of my hands? Maybe one day, I will.