A disabled person can now stroll through Second Life thanks to research work led by Junichi Ushiba of the faculty of Science and Technology of Keio University.
(Paralyzed student walks in Second Life)
Here's the description of the research demonstration:
The system uses electrodes as small as 1cm in diameter that are attached to the scalp. A computer detects brainwaves from the sensory-motor cortex when the subject slightly
moves fingers of his/her right and left hand, and moves the avatar accordingly. The computer also detects the subject’s will to move forward, and makes the avatar move
forward. The system released last year used a desktop computer, but the new system uses a portable electroencephalograph commercially available, and made it possible to bring the system to the subject’s home.
I remember seeing this pictured in Star Trek in about 1967. In The Menagerie, Christoper Pike is burned and completely paralyzed; he is trapped in his wheelchair.
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