Researchers have developed a device that let a 69-year-old man with paralysis fly a virtual drone using only his thoughts. The BCI decoded the man’s brain activity as he imagined moving three groups of digits in real time. By associating neural signals with the movements of multiple fingers, the work has focused on moving a single computer cursor or whole virtual hand.
The feat offers hope that BCIs could one day help people with paralysis to perform a wider range of activities, such as typing or playing complex video games. The study was inspired by the participant’s own request to use a BCI to fly a drone. He told the researchers that controlling the virtual object was like playing a musical instrument.
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