UW-Madison researchers unveil The Brain-Twitter Interface
Tweet your daily thoughts, straight from your head
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“SPELLING WITH MY BRAIN.”
That’s one of several tweets UW-Madison biomedical engineering doctoral student Adam Wilson (@uwbci) sent out on April 15. Wilson, along with Justin Williams, a UW-Madison assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and research scientists at the Wadsworth Center in Albany, N.Y., has developed what the scientists are calling The Brain-Twitter Interface. (Another tweet he sent with his brain? “GO BADGERS.”)
Here’s how it works, sort of: The user dons a cap full of electrodes, looks at a screen full of letters, and through the magic of science, spells out words (in all caps). This is done without hands, but with pure mind power. The technology isn’t really intended for slobs who are too lazy to type (sorry), but for people who are “locked-in”—unable to move but perfectly able to think. Twitter’s short-and-sweet nature is a great match for this technology.
At least, that’s what the scientists say. Perhaps, at last, the true, dark purpose of Twitter has been revealed. Soon, all your thoughts will be broadcast across the internet without any self-censoring, and you will be subject to much embarrassment and scorn. Oh, wait—that's what most people do on Twitter anyway.
Now, watch this dude spell:
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