Scientists are trying to hack into the genius’ Stephen Hawking’s brain. He is disabled from a motor neuron disease he has had for many years and scientists are trying to figure out a way to help him communicate better. Â Hit the jump for details on the hacking of his brain.
Scientists are working out a way to ‘hack’ into Stephen Hawking’s brain to enable him to communicate more easily.
The world-famous physicist has been trying out the ‘iBrain’ which picks up his brain waves and sends them to a computer for analysis.
Hawking was fitted with a black headband which has a series of neurotransmitters inside it and was told to think about scrunching his right hand into a ball.
He was able to create a pattern which the researchers hope they can one day convert into letters, words and sentences.
Hawking has been unable to speak for the last 30 years due to the motor neurone disease which is ravaging his body and weakening his muscles.
He famously uses a computer to communicate with a robot-like voice which he until seven years ago he used to activate by a clicker.
Now because the muscles in his hand are too weak an infra-red sensor superglued to his glasses monitors his cheek movements which are translated into text by a computer on his wheelchair.
The iBrain has been developed by Philip Low, a professor at Stanford University in the US.
It is about the size of a matchbox and is very light so does not weigh down Hawking’s head.
Professor Low said he hopes that it will be able to monitor him in real time, regardless of what he is doing.
He said: ‘We’d like to find a way to bypass his body, pretty much hack his brain.
Read more [Source]
