How You Can Control Things With Your Mind

Seriously. A brief introduction to brain-computer interfaces!

There are 5.4 million people living with paralysis in the United States alone! Moving our arms and legs is something we often take for granted, but it’s a challenge for the paralyzed. Imagine if they could use robotic limbs as a replacement, in the natural way that they used to — using their minds! Although that may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, it’s already been done. Scientists have been developing this technology for decades. It’s the same tech that allows people to spell words with their brains and play video games with their minds. It’s called a brain-computer interface, or BCI for short.

Brain-Computer Interfaces Work In Three Steps

Our brains are made up of billions of neurons, and those neurons let us react to the environment around us. These neurons relay information across the body by communicating with each other using electrical and chemical signals. You can think of each neuron “passing” information onto the next until it reaches the brain or vice-versa. For example, when your finger gets burned by a flame, the cells around it let the neurons know what’s happening. After a neuron is activated, a chain reaction begins! Neurons pass the message onto the next until it…