Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are using Twitter posts as a way of demonstrating a new system of communication using your brain as an interface rather than typing out words. The research is being done in an attempt to create a better communication system for individuals who are unable to use their bodies. Well-known examples include Stephen Hawking who suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), but would also be beneficial to people who have suffered paralyses or other problems leading to reduced body control.

As you can see in the video above the system works by presenting the user with a grid of characters that flash. The user has to concentrate on the character they want to use and when it flashes the brain interface detects that the user noticed the change and tells the system to print that character. The key is concentrating on a single character and waiting for the change that your brain then registers. When a message is finished the user concentrates on the “TWIT” characters and the system posts the message to your Twitter account.

The technique has been developed by biomedical engineering student Adam Wilson and UW-Madison assistant professor Justin Williams working with Gerwin Schalk and a team at the Wadsworth Center department of health in New York. Testing has been carried out posting Twitter updates and Wilson says it is just like getting used to writing a text message for the first time. When you first start using the system you are really slow and it’s hard work, but speeds of up to eight characters a minute are being demonstrated by regular users.

Trials of the technology will now be done in homes and it is hoped the ease of use coupled with the well-known Twitter service will help bring more research to this area of communication.

Matthew’s Opinion
The development of this new interface alone is impressive because it is simple to use, but the addition of Twitter integration means it becomes a lot more useful to those using it. Not only can messages be written down, they can also be easily shared on the Internet with a single brain button press.

Once setup the user can write and post messages completely independently. Friends and family can then subscribe to the feed and communicate with that person. As far as enabling the user it works very well and gives them an outlet to express themselves without anyone ever having to know they are actually using this interface or indeed are different from anyone else on Twitter.