Russian scientists have proposed a new way to control a virtual or mechanical hand using the brain. This was reported by the press service of the RNF.
In recent years, scientists have been trying to develop a convenient and reliable brain-computer interface. With it, it will be possible to both control the cursor on the screen and move virtual or robotic limbs. This should help people with paralysis in particular interact with the world. Often, for these purposes, a person is asked to imagine some kind of action (for example, moving a hand) and the corresponding brain activity is recorded using an EEG.
Specialists of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University suggested that people do not imagine any movements, but make half-movements. This is the phenomenon that occurs when scientists are asked to make a movement from volunteers and gradually decrease its amplitude until the physical movement stops and only the corresponding brain signal remains. As part of this study, the authors conducted an experiment in which 23 young volunteers compared half-movements with imaginary and real movements. The researchers first taught them to abduct in reality, imagination, and half-motion, and then they recorded their brain activity using electroencephalography. After the experiment, a survey was conducted to find out what the volunteers thought during the tasks.
According to the subjective feelings of the subjects, the intention to make a quasi-movement practically did not differ from the intention to make a real movement. In the EEG, the activity of the brain during half-movement was higher than when imagining movements, but the latter had a large amplitude. The authors hypothesized that this was somehow related to the fact that occasional attempts to perform half-movements resulted in a slight muscle tension that was imperceptible to the experimenter. Perhaps the subject feels and experiences this, which will disrupt the experiment, and as a result, the changes in the EEG are more pronounced.
Scientists hope that this technology will create a more convenient and reliable brain-computer interface, as the system can more accurately process such commands and is more natural for a person and easier to learn.
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