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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Mind Readers"
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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READER SCRIPT
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THINKING OUTSIDE THE BRAIN... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. WHEN SOMEONE LOSES A LIMB, THE BRAIN STILL RETAINS THE CONTROL-CENTERS FOR IT. SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING TO IMPROVE THE WAY THAT PATIENTS INTERFACE WITH THE BRAIN, TO CONTROL OUTSIDE DEVICES LIKE BIONIC LIMB-REPLACEMENTS. SO FAR, IT'S BEEN A FAIRLY INVASIVE PROCESS: A SMALL GROUP OF ELECTRODES PLACED UNDER THE SKULL PHYSICALLY PENETRATE THE BRAIN, AT NUMEROUS POINTS. POKING AROUND THE BRAIN IS DELICATE WORK--AS IT'S GOT A TON OF SPEECH, MEMORY, AND OTHER COGNITIVE AREAS THAT COULD BE DAMAGED. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCHERS HAVE PIONEERED A TECHNIQUE THAT PICKS UP THE SIGNALS FROM THE BRAIN--WITHOUT ACTUALLY PENETRATING BRAIN-TISSUE; INSTEAD, MICRO-ELECTRODES ARE PLACED UNDER THE SKULL, EMBEDDED IN KIND OF A CAP THAT RESTS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BRAIN. WHILE IT'S NOT EXACTLY A "THINKING CAP", IT READS BRAIN-SIGNALS AND PASSES THEM ON TO A COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS A BIONIC LIMB--OR EVEN CONVERTS THOUGHTS INTO AUDIBLE WORDS IN PARALYZED PATIENTS WHO CAN'T COMMUNICATE. THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD GREATLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AMPUTEES, OR THOSE WITH SEVERE PARALYSIS; BUT, IT'S STILL IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES. ONCE THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE IS REFINED, TRIALS WILL INVOLVE PATIENTS WITH SEVERE EPILEPSY MOVING A VIRTUAL-REALITY LIMB; A WORKING SYSTEM COULD BE AS CLOSE AS A FEW YEARS AWAY. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
