Showing posts with label physical disabilities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physical disabilities. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A dream come true


Electrode
What would you think if I say there is no longer the need to use your hand to change the TV channel when advertisements start? What if, instead of that, you could simply use your brain to do it? Many of you may be thinking “a dream come true”. It appears like dreams are becoming a substantial possibility these days. Thanks to a revolutionary new device, which is calling everyone's attention, this dream is very close to become a reality. 

The Braingate is a device made of electrodes which are surgically implanted on a person’s motor cortex that helps the owner to control objects and to communicate effectively. It is designed to assist people who had suffered accidents or strokes and, as a consequence, are currently disabled. The user can move external objects using only the mind/thought. However, this idea is still in its infancy despite it has been already tested on real people.  

A controversy that surrounds this wonderful discovery has to do with the abuse of the system. It was made specifically for people with disabilities, but it’s believed even healthy people may feel the desire to “improve” their lives by using the system. How drastically our lives could change if we didn’t have the necessity to move to perform common actions like drinking an orange juice or turning the page of our book? If you have the chance, would you choose to implant electrodes on your brain in order to make your life easier?

If you want to take a deeper look on the Briangate system, click here.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Technology for the differently abled


Nowadays, people with physical disabilities have a hard time keeping up with the times, as their limitations will not allow them to have access to certain services and technologies, including computers and the internet. Luckily, a group of Chilean students came up with a solution for them, so that disabilities will not limit their access to technology and, therefore, to social integration. 


Last year, a group of three computer science students from Federico Santa Maria Technical University developed LifewareIntegra, a program that allows handicapped people to use computers. They combined a head device with sensors, that are able to pick up brain activity, and software, that interprets this information, to let the user have full access to a computer and its applications through a set of tools developed by its creators. The head device was originally created for gaming purposes, but these students had the vision to give it a whole new purpose.


LifewareIntegra was tried for the first time on Jenifer Astorga, a 26-year-old woman who lives with quadriplegia. The test was a huge success and she seemed really happy afterwards. If the software is further developed, it might one day help a lot of other people like Jenifer to be rehabilitated and get a job.