Gtec, an Austrian firm, unveiled a computer system
that can read the user’s mind to type words on a laptop. Gtec is showing off its new device at CeBIT 2010 (CeBIT is the world’s largest trade fair, held in Germany, showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments). Gtec states that the device is the first patient-ready computer-brain interface.
The system is basically designed for persons unable to speak or write and uses wireless technology to connect a skull cap covered with electrodes to a laptop which has software to analyze and interpret the signal.
For new users, it generally takes about 30 seconds for the computer to recognize what the user is thinking at first, but Gtec representatives said the more practiced the user, the quicker the process becomes, cutting it down to just one or two seconds per letter.
The system is very pricey at €9,000, but its good to see science fiction quickly becoming reality in a very good way.
I’ll be looking out for more innovations like this.
Check out the photos below.