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'Brain Carpet' Translates Thoughts Into Action

Instead of violently shoving a giant needle into the brain a la "The Matrix," Utah scientists are reading thoughts by carpeting the brain with microelectrodes.

This "modest advance," as the scientists describe it, could enable more precise control of prosthetic limbs or advance research in epilepsy and other diseases of the brain.

"This was originally developed for epilepsy," said Bradley Greger, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah and co-author of a paper that recently appeared in journal Neurosurgical Focus.

"But this could be really good for neurological control of prosthetic devices."

There are now three methods to turn brain thought into prosthetic action. Each has positives and negatives. Some devices can be slipped on as easily as hats, but they aren't specific. The most detailed readings, from even a single neuron, come from threading tiny electrodes deep into the brain, but such operations are risky and very invasive.

[Discovery]