Virtual World Sharpens Mind-Control
From: New Scientist - 06/26/2007
By: Will Knight

A collaborative project involving the Graz University of Technology in
Austria and the University College London (UCL) has developed a simulated
virtual world that can be explored through thoughts and may provide new
rehabilitation possibilities for disabled patients. The Graz University of
Technology specializes in measuring brain signals with electrodes or implants
while UCL works on creating immersive virtual worlds. The two schools'
projects were united by a European consortium called PRESENCCIA. The system
uses electrodes attached to a person's scalp and electroencephalograms (EEGs)
to monitor electrical activity in the brain. The system can be trained to
recognize neuronal activity patterns when the person is thinking about
walking or moving their arms. The thoughts can then be used to move forward
or turn. The user views the virtual world as video footage projected on a
wall, utilizing a pair of shuttered glasses to create the illusion of a 3D
environment. After testing the system on a test subject, the researchers
asked a man paralyzed almost completely from the neck down to think about
walking up to the virtual characters and wait for each character to say
hello. The paralyzed subject was able to successfully control the system 90
percent of the time. UCL researcher Doron Friedman says the patient loved the
feeling of thinking about walking and seeing his environment change. Friedman
says that virtual reality is becoming a popular physical and psychological
rehabilitation tool, and the new system could provide novel possibilities.
Eventually, such technology may be used to allow disabled people to operate
devices using their mind. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/tech/dn12136-virtual-world-sharpens-mindcontrol.html

Doron Friedman
http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/d.friedman/

PRESENCCIA
http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/research/vr/Projects/Presencia/

Navigating Virtual Reality by Thought: What Is It Like?
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/pres.16.1.100

Walking by Thinking: The Brainwaves Are Crucial, Not the Muscles!
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/pres.15.5.500

Scientists take their first virtual stroll using mind control
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/media/library/braincap