A wheel chair being developed by Ambient will allow users to control its movement with just their thoughts — a breakthrough device that could be a huge help for the paralyzed. Called the Audeo, the chair works by intercepting brain signals sent to your larynx and decoding them to match previously recorded words, such as “forward,” “back,” or “fire laser.”
Luckily, there is no complex cyborg-like surgery involved, as the device works by using a sensor-covered neckband to detect the brain signals and wirelessly transmit them to a nearby computer for processing. Theoretically, the signals can also be sent to a speech synthesizer, allowing a paralyzed user to speak with all the intensity and creepiness of Stephen Hawking. Pretty amazing in its simplicity, I’m curious to see how accurate this thing is and that it won’t be sending our handicapped flying backwards into traffic. [Ambient via SciFi]
