Thought Control Technology Coming out of Science Fiction and Into Real Life

A world in which an amputee controls their prosthesis with their mind might have once seemed like a far-off science fiction future. But research into neural interfacing could make this a reality sooner rather than later.

Professors Nigel Lovell and Francois Ladouceur and Dr Leonardo Silvestri from the University of New South Wales are collaborating on research in this area.

The team has developed a liquid crystal optical transducer that could convert an electrical signal into an optical signal. The project began when Professor Nigel Lovell one day suggested that a smaller version of optical transducers he had used in another project be tested for its ability to measure brain signals.

Since that day, the team has looked at “establishing two-way communication between the brain and the outside world, which could mean being able to control an artificial limb with very high precision”. Other potential outcomes of the work are improved treatments for epilepsy i.e. teaching the brain to control seizures, as well as treatments for neuro-degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more here.