Category Archives: Neurotechnology

Neurotechnology and brain health analytics player has announced a partnership with two clinical care facilities in the U.S.

The creators of the award-winning EYE-SYNC technology will provide the virtual reality-based system to Comprehensive Concussion Care (C3) and Brain Fitness Centers of Florida.

Brain Fitness Centers of Florida provides individualised cognitive rehabilitation programs serving patients with a loss of brain function, mild cognitive impairment and early dementia. They also specialise in diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury. The Centers focus on creating customisable cognitive training programs that can be taught in a one on one setting and modified as needed to best suit the patients needs. These programs are based on the clinical and research efforts of their Founder, Dr. Stephen Scranton.

He said: We at Brain Fitness Centers of Florida are excited to implement EYE-SYNC to assess brain trauma and age related neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic dysfunction. It will add a valuable methodology for data collection needed in the diagnosis and post treatment assessment of therapy.

C3 is a multidisciplinary clinic in the Kansas City area that specialises in the multi-system approach to concussion management. It is known for utilising an evaluation process to identify the source of concussion related symptoms, allowing for an individualised treatment program to target dysfunctions identified. It works with other community-based clinicians to guide return to learn and return to play in a safe and effective manner.

Tim Kalkman, PA-C, co-founder of C3, said: It has been said that the eyes are the gateway to the brain. This is certainly true for concussion patients who often struggle with ocular pain, visual impairment, light sensitivity, or eye movement dysfunction after a head injury. For clinicians treating concussion, this requires training and understanding of the ocular system and how to best manage visual sensory-motor dysfunction. Our partnership and use of the EYE-SYNC platform now provides us the ability to utilize objective assessments and clinic-based vision training options for our patients, and to more readily advance them to a full recovery. We are happy to be the first clinic in the Kansas City metro-area to offer the FDA-Cleared EYE-SYNC mobile platform to our concussion patients.

EYE-SYNC uses high speed, high-fidelity infrared cameras to capture subtle eye movements that cant be observed through a standard clinical evaluation. Depending on the type of eye movement, a clinician can utilise this analysis to decipher between brain systems involved that may be performing poorly or are impaired. The technology was recently designated by the FDA as a Breakthrough Device for aid to concussion assessment.

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Neurotechnology firm partners two care facilities with eye movement platform - Med-Tech Innovation

SyncThink, which uses a virtual reality headset and eye-tracking to perform neurotechnology and brain health analytics, said it has partnered with two clinic chains that can use the tech to evaluate patients for brain health and concussion risk.

The Comprehensive Concussion Care (C3) and Brain Fitness Centers of Florida will use the VR-based Eye-Sync system to help diagnose patients who have cognitive impairment or possible concussions.

The additions of C3 and Brain Fitness Centers of Florida join an expanding roster of clinical partners that include top institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital, Wentworth-Douglass, Houston Methodist, Childrens National Hospital, and Stanford Childrens Hospital.

Brain Fitness Centers of Florida provides individualized cognitive rehabilitation programs serving patients with a loss of brain function, mild cognitive impairment, and early dementia.

They also specialize in diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury. The centers focus on creating customizable cognitive training programs that can be taught in a one-on-one setting and modified as needed to best suit the patients needs. These programs are based on the extensive clinical and research efforts of founder Stephen Scranton.

We at Brain Fitness Centers of Florida are excited to implement Eye-Sync to assess brain trauma and age-related neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic dysfunction, Scranton said in a statement. It will add a valuable methodology for data collection needed in the diagnosis and post-treatment assessment of therapy.

Above: Eye-Sync kit helps clinics evaluate brain injuries.

Image Credit: SyncThink

C3 is a multidisciplinary clinic in the Kansas City area that specializes in the multi-system approach to concussion management. The clinic acts as the referral source for local health care practices, emergency departments, community sports programs, and employers, allowing the public immediate post-injury access to advanced clinical specialists.

And C3 is known for utilizing an extensive evaluation process to identify the source of concussion-related symptoms, which allows for an individualized treatment program to target any dysfunctions identified. The team works closely with other community-based clinicians to guide return to learning and play in a safe and effective manner.

It has been said that the eyes are the gateway to the brain. This is certainly true for concussion patients, who often struggle with ocular pain, visual impairment, light sensitivity, or eye movement dysfunction after a head injury. For clinicians treating concussion, this requires training and understanding of the ocular system and how to best manage visual sensory motor dysfunction, said C3 cofounder Tim Kalkman in a statement. Our partnership and use of the Eye-Sync platform now provides us the ability to utilize objective assessments and clinic-based vision training options for our patients and to more readily advance them to a full recovery. We are happy to be the first clinic in the Kansas City metro area to offer the FDA-cleared Eye-Sync mobile platform to our concussion patients.

Eye-Sync uses high-speed, high-fidelity infrared cameras to capture the subtlest eye movements, many of which cannot be observed through a standard clinical evaluation.

Depending on the type of eye movement, a clinician can utilize this objective analysis to decipher between brain systems that may be performing poorly or are impaired. The technology is a leader in the objective measurement of clinical subtypes commonly identified in conditions like concussion and was recently designated by the FDA as a Breakthrough Device for aid to concussion assessment, recognizing the potential to solve an important unmet need.

SyncThink said it has 30 published peer-reviewed papers and 14 granted patents and is being used by more than 20 universities. The company has 12 employees and has raised $7.1 million in investor funds. It also received $36 million in non-dilutive military funding.

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SyncThinks eye-tracking helps monitor brain health and concussion risk - VentureBeat

captionJeff Weiner, LinkedIn CEO, is one of the countrys top executives.sourceStephen Lam/Getty Images

Employees love tech CEOs.

Comparably released its annual ranking of the best CEOs of major US companies. The career site used data from 10 million user ratings submitted over the course of a year. Users anonymously rated their CEO using a numerical score.

Tech CEOs, like Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, came out on top. Nine of the top 15 CEOs lead companies on the West Coast.

White men made up the overwhelming majority of the top 15. The sole woman was Lynn Jurich, CEO of the solar electricity provider Sunrun, who took the 10th spot. Two Asian-American men Nadella and Sundar Pichai of Google made the top 15, and no black or Latino men appeared at all.

Here are the top 15 best US chief executive officers. The full list can be found on Comparablys website.

Starting year: 2014

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Company description: The Home Depot, Inc. is a home improvement retailer, supplying tools, construction products, and services.

Starting year: 2002

Headquarters: Provo, Utah

Company description: Qualtrics Experience Management is a software platform that helps brands assess the quality of their four core experiences customers, employees, products, and brands.

Starting year: 2015

Headquarters: Mountain View, California

Company description: Google is a multinational technology company that provides Internet-related services and products.

Starting year: 2006

Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington

Company description: Smartsheet is a work management and document sharing platform.

Starting year: 2019

Headquarters: Mountain View, California

Company description: Intuit offers financial management solutions for small and medium sized businesses, financial institutions, consumers, and accounting professionals.

Starting year: 2007

Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Company description: Sunrun is a provider of residential solar electricity.

Starting year: 2018

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Company description: Insight Global is a national staffing and services company that specializes in sourcing information technology, government, accounting, finance, and engineering professionals and delivering service-based solutions to Fortune 1000 clients.

Starting year: 2012

Headquarters: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Company description: Stryker offers products for orthopedics, medical, surgical, neurotechnology, and spine.

Starting year: 1971

Headquarters: San Antonio, Texas

Company description: H-E-B operates more than 358 stores, including superstores, supermarkets and gourmet markets.

Starting year: 2008

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California

Company description: LinkedIn, a professional networking site, allows its members to create business connections, search for jobs, and find potential clients.

Starting year: 2012

Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington

Company description: T-Mobile is a 4G LTE network provider.

Starting year: 2014

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington

Company description: Microsoft is a multinational technology company. It develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services.

Starting year: 2012

Headquarters: Issaquah, Washington

Company description: Costco Wholesale is a multibillion dollar global retailer with warehouse club operations in 11 countries.

Starting year: 2006

Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Company description: HubSpot offers a variety of software for professionals in the sales, marketing, and service industries.

Starting year: 2011

Headquarters: San Jose, California

Company description: Zoom Video Communications provides remote conferencing services using cloud computing.

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These were the 15 best CEOs of 2019 - Business Insider

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2D3DFacial analyticsBy component:

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Worldwide Facial Recognition Market Latest Research By Business Expansion Plans, Industry Demand Status & Forecast 2028 - Tech News Today

The latest market analysis report on the Neurotechnology market performs industry diagnostic as a way to accumulate valuable data into the business environment of the Neurotechnology market for the forecast period 2019 2026. The subject matter experts behind the research have collected vital statistics on the market share, size and growth as a way to help stakeholders, business owners and field marketing personnel identify the areas to reduce costs, improve sales, explore new opportunities and streamline their processes. Unbiased perspective on intangible aspects such as key challenges, threats, new entrants as well as strengths and weaknesses of the prominent vendors too are discussed in this market intelligence report.

In market segmentation by manufacturers, the report covers the following companies-

Cisco Systems Inc. BMC Software Inc. EntIT Software LLC ABB Limited Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Dell Inc. Oracle Corporation Fujitsu Ltd

Others

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Coverage of critical data on investment feasibility, return on investment, demand and supply, import and export, consumption volume and production capability aim at supporting the business owners in multiple growth phases including the initial stages, product development and prioritizing potential geography. All valuable data assessed in the report are presented through charts, tables, and graphic images.

In market segmentation by geographical regions, the report has analyzed the following regions-

North America

Europe

China

Japan

Middle East & Africa

India

South America

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In market segmentation by types of Neurotechnology, the report covers-

Imaging Modalities Neurostimulation Cranial Surface Measurement Neurological Implants NeuroprostheticsOthers

In market segmentation by applications of the Neurotechnology, the report covers the following uses-

Hospitals Clinics Diagnostic Centers Research InstitutesOthers

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A thorough diligence and probe into market segmentation, customer preference, production capability and gross margin are discussed with the aim to ensure business owners are positioned to successes. The study considers, in particular, the impact of technology innovation, recent collaborations and product launches for the forecast period of 2019 2026. Assessment of various factors on a targets ability to meet the forecast results forms the basis of evaluation of this market intelligence report on Neurotechnology market.

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Neurotechnology Market Report 2019 | Industry Size, Share, Trend And Forecast Is A Professional And In-Depth Study By 2026 - Alpha News Report

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Using a mathematical framework with roots in artificial intelligence and robotics, researchers have uncovered the process for how people make decisions in groups.

The researchers also found they could predict a persons choice more often than more traditional descriptive methods.

In large groups of essentially anonymous members, people make choices based on a model of the mind of the group and an evolving simulation of how a choice will affect that theorized mind, the study finds.

Our results are particularly interesting in light of the increasing role of social media in dictating how humans behave as members of particular groups, says senior author Rajesh Rao, a professor in the University of Washingtons Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and co-director of the Center for Neurotechnology.

We can almost get a glimpse into a human mind and analyze its underlying computational mechanism for making collective decisions.

In online forums and social media groups, the combined actions of anonymous group members can influence your next action, and conversely, your own action can change the future behavior of the entire group, Rao says.

The researchers wanted to find out what mechanisms are at play in settings like these.

In the paper, they explain that human behavior relies on predictions of future states of the environmenta best guess at what might happenand the degree of uncertainty about that environment increases drastically in social settings. To predict what might happen when another human is involved, a person makes a model of the others mind, called a theory of mind, and then uses that model to simulate how ones own actions will affect that other mind.

While this act functions well for one-on-one interactions, the ability to model individual minds in a large group is much harder. The new research suggests that humans create an average model of a mind representative of the group even when the identities of the others are not known.

To investigate the complexities that arise in group decision-making, the researchers focused on the volunteers dilemma task, wherein a few individuals endure some costs to benefit the whole group. Examples of the task include guarding duty, blood donation, and stepping forward to stop an act of violence in a public place, they explain in the paper.

To mimic this situation and study both behavioral and brain responses, the researchers put subjects in an MRI, one by one, and had them play a game. In the game, called a public goods game, the subjects contribution to a communal pot of money influences others and determines what everyone in the group gets back. A subject can decide to contribute a dollar or decide to free-ridethat is, not contribute to get the reward in the hopes that others will contribute to the pot.

If the total contributions exceed a predetermined amount, everyone gets two dollars back. The subjects played dozens of rounds with others they never met. Unbeknownst to the subject, a computer mimicking previous human players actually simulated the others.

We can almost get a glimpse into a human mind and analyze its underlying computational mechanism for making collective decisions, says lead author Koosha Khalvati, a doctoral student in the Allen School. When interacting with a large number of people, we found that humans try to predict future group interactions based on a model of an average group members intention. Importantly, they also know that their own actions can influence the group. For example, they are aware that even though they are anonymous to others, their selfish behavior would decrease collaboration in the group in future interactions and possibly bring undesired outcomes.

In their study, the researchers were able to assign mathematical variables to these actions and create their own computer models for predicting what decisions the person might make during play. They found that their model predicts human behavior significantly better than reinforcement learning modelsthat is, when a player learns to contribute based on how the previous round did or didnt pay out regardless of other playersand more traditional descriptive approaches.

Given that the model provides a quantitative explanation for human behavior, Rao wonders if it may be useful when building machines that interact with humans.

In scenarios where a machine or software is interacting with large groups of people, our results may hold some lessons for AI, he says. A machine that simulates the mind of a group and simulates how its actions affect the group may lead to a more human-friendly AI whose behavior is better aligned with the values of humans.

The results appear in Science Advances.

Additional coauthors are from UC Davis; New York University; and the Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod. The National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Templeton World Charity Foundation funded the work.

Source: Jake Ellison for University of Washington

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Trying to read the 'mind of a group' shapes our decisions online - Futurity: Research News

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Global Facial Recognition Market Top Key Players, Regions and Application Outlook Upto 2019 to 2028 - Industry Planning

Nextmind, a Paris based neuro technology startup developing the next generation of brain computer interfaces, today unveiled the worlds first brain-sensing wearable that delivers real-time device control using just a persons thoughts at Slush 2019. This groundbreaking technology is a first-of-its-kind, noninvasive, brain-computer interface that translates brain signals instantly from the users visual cortex into digital commands for any device in real time.

Founded in 2017 byGwendal Kerdavid and Sid Kouider,NextMinds groundbreaking technology, based on proven scientific research conducted over the past 20 years, translates brain signals from the visual cortex into digital commands in real time, enabling easier interaction and control of computers, AR/VR headsets or any device.

This technology breakthrough represents the next frontier of human-computer interaction and we are truly humbled to be here today introducing NextMind to the world, said Kouider. For those who have said it would never be possible with noninvasive technology to communicate intent and implement actions directly from our brain to the world around us, its time to believe because this is real, and the possibilities are truly endless.

The small, light-weight, round device fits into the back of a cap or headband, and rests gently on the users head. It captures data from the electrical signals created by the users neuron activity in the visual cortex, and using machine learning algorithms, transforms that output into communication that enables easier interaction and control with a computer, AR/VR headset or any device within the Internet of Things.

According to Kouider, a limited number of NextMind Development Kits will ship during the first half of 2020. A Dev Kit pre-order announcement is anticipated in January. Developers interested in receiving special advance notice about placing orders can sign up at http://www.next-mind.com/waitlist.

NextMind will allow the public to try its remarkable new brain-sensing wearable at CES 2020 in booth #21839 in LVCC, South Hall 1 from Jan. 7-10. Press will have early access to personal demonstrations at CES Unveiled Las Vegas on Jan. 5.

You can see NextMind in action in the video below.

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Neurotechnology startup NextMind unveils world's first brain-sensing wearable that delivers real-time device control with just your thoughts -...

HELSINKI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sid Kouider, founder and CEO of NextMind, a fast-growing neurotechnology startup, today unveiled the world's first brain-sensing wearable that delivers real-time device control using just a person's thoughts at Slush 2019. This groundbreaking technology is a first-of-its-kind, noninvasive, brain-computer interface that translates brain signals instantly from the user's visual cortex into digital commands for any device in real time.

"This technology breakthrough represents the next frontier of human-computer interaction and we are truly humbled to be here today introducing NextMind to the world," said Kouider. "For those who have said it would never be possible with noninvasive technology to communicate intent and implement actions directly from our brain to the world around us, it's time to believe - because this is real, and the possibilities are truly endless."

The small, light-weight, round device fits into the back of a cap or headband, and rests gently on the user's head. It captures data from the electrical signals created by the user's neuron activity in the visual cortex, and using machine learning algorithms, transforms that output into communication that enables easier interaction and control with a computer, AR/VR headset or any device within the Internet of Things.

According to Kouider, a limited number of NextMind Development Kits will ship during the first half of 2020. A Dev Kit pre-order announcement is anticipated in January. Developers interested in receiving special advance notice about placing orders can sign up at http://www.next-mind.com/waitlist.

NextMind will allow the public to try its remarkable new brain-sensing wearable at CES 2020 in booth #21839 in LVCC, South Hall 1 from Jan. 7-10. Press will have early access to personal demonstrations at CES Unveiled Las Vegas on Jan. 5.

About NextMind

NextMind is a fast-growing tech startup that has developed a first-of-its-kind, brain-sensing wearable that delivers real-time device control using just a person's thoughts. NextMind's groundbreaking technology, based on proven scientific research conducted over the past 20 years, translates brain signals from the visual cortex into digital commands in real time, enabling easier interaction and control of computers, AR/VR headsets or any device. For more information, visit next-mind.com and follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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NextMind Unveils World's First Brain-Sensing Wearable That Delivers Real-Time Device Control With Just Your Thoughts - Business Wire

If researchers can use implanted BCIs to allow people to bypass their muscles, indeed, if these scientists can find a cost-effective, reliable way to work around a damaged or compromised nervous system, people suffering paraplegia, amputation, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's, and a host of other diseases that rob them of their independence, may soon find that the frustrations of daily life are lessened.

Richard van Hooijdonk | Richard van Hooijdonk

Bill Kochevar wears a bright red shirt and what looks like a cast on his right arm. As he raises a fork to his mouth, his movements are awkward and slow, supported by a gravity defying brace mounted on the floor next to his wheelchair.

Hes got a fork full of mashed potatoes, and as he raises it to his mouth, the joy on his face is unmistakable.

It was amazing...I thought about moving my arm and it did!

That may seem unremarkable to you, but since a bicycle collision with a mail truck, Kochevar has been paralysed from the neck down.

Just imagine being paralysed.

Its the stuff of nightmares--wanting to flee and finding your legs rooted in place, unresponsive.

And weve all slept on an arm for long enough to render it dead. Think about that experience now. When you woke up, your limb was just meat, just dead weight that wouldnt move at your beck and call as it should.

Now imagine knowing that no amount of waiting will summon the pins and needles that mean your arm is coming back from the dead, that instead, itll hang lifeless at your side for the rest of your life, and that far from being indispensably useful, youll instead spend every waking moment trying to compensate for this new obstacle, adjusting everything you do from brushing your teeth to driving a car to typing at work--if, indeed, you can work.

Now extend that to multiple limbs or remove them altogether.

You can start to see what its like to live in a body that refuses to cooperate.

Paralysis affects far more people than you might realise. For instance, the Reeve Foundation recently found that 1 in 50 Americans struggle with paralysis caused by stroke, spinal injury, and muscular sclerosis. Nearly a majority are unable to work, a staggering 41.8%.

For them, independence is a dream, something they might remember but no longer experience. But now, advances in neurotech may help them live fuller, more self-sufficient lives.

Mind-controlled wheelchairs and the next step

To help those whove suffered a profound loss of motor control, researchers have been exploring mind-controlled wheelchairs. Rodrigo Quevedo, a Chilean engineer, has developed a design in his Idea factory. His motivating passion, he says, is to do something so [paraplegics] can move. Rodrigos current designs steer the chair by subtle head movements, but hes hoping to make the move to neural control soon.

Diwakar Vaish beat Rodrigo to the punch. This young Indian tech guru has developed the first commercially available wheelchair that features a brain computer interface (BCI). The user need only wear a headset that collects information from her brains electrical impulses, the neural storm that accompanies thought. The BCI translates these minute electrical signals into a language a computer can understand, something like a sophisticated google translate of thoughts. Now that the computer can grasp what a particular thought looks like, it can react and obey.

In Vaishs system, the non-invasive headset connects the users brain to the chair via Bluetooth, and augmented by proximity and terrain sensors, this has allowed even the most stricken patients a measure of autonomy. All thats demanded of the user is a healthy brain, so even those trapped by Locked-in Syndrome can use the new chair. As Vaish told The Sunday Guardian, We have tried it on patients who are in a vegetative state, but their brain is functional and it was successful.

The next steps are to move beyond motorised chairs and into the world of exoskeletons. Miguel Nicolelis, a Brazilian neuroscientist, has been working together with colleagues at Duke University as part of the Walk Again Project to design a wireless system that allows control of a wheelchair with thought alone. By implanting a tiny BCI in the brain of two rhesus monkeys, chosen for their similarity to human beings, they were able to demonstrate that it could control the movements of the chair. Hes pursuing this method because, as he explained to the Mirror, In some severely disabled people, even blinking is not possible. For them, using a wheelchair or device controlled by non invasive measures like an EEG, a device that monitors brain waves through electrodes on the scalp, may not be sufficient. To provide the control they need, invasive measures are necessary.

Nicolelis goal, then, isnt to duplicate Vaishs design. Instead, he wants eventually to develop robotic exoskeletons that are nothing less than an extension of their users mind, a dream he thinks is within reach given the data from these early experiments. For his test monkeys, the chair became something more than a means to get from one place to another; in fact, the wheelchair is being assimilated by the monkeys brain as an extension of its bodily representation of itself. If Nicolelis is right, he might be taking the first steps toward real mobility for paraplegics and others with profound motor impairment. We are not focused on the wheelchair, he promises.

Until now, if you lost an arm--but still had enough of one to be fitted for a prosthesis--doctors could fit you with an artificial arm that you could learn to control by moving the muscles left in your stump. These cumbersome systems are hobbled on a lot of these ifs: if the patient has enough remaining tissue, if the tissue still allows muscle movement, if the prosthetic arm can work well enough outside the lab.

These ifs fall on patients live like a thick blanket of snow, quickly obscuring the way forward. Thats why as many as half of these patients find their new arms collecting dust.

But scientists are well aware of these technological limitations, and their working to overcome them. One example of promising research comes from Johns Hopkins. Working with an epilepsy patient who needed his brain mapped to help him combat his seizures, a process wherein doctors implant tiny electrodes to stimulate the brain at precise--and unique--points, a research team led by Nathan Crone was able to implant a tiny BCI as well. 128 sensors in an areas about the size of a credit card were attached to the part of the mans brain that controls the arm and hand. After mapping exactly how the patients brain worked with a special glove, this interface allowed the Hopkins team to bypass the patients body and use only his thoughts to control the individual fingers of a robotic hand.

Initial results were promising; after mapping his brain, the test patient was able to control the robotic hand with 76% accuracy. By refining the control of the prosthesis--pairing the ring and pinky fingers together, that number rose to 88%. Thats no small feat!

The advantage of a system like this is not only that it can allow functional independence to people who had given up on caring for themselves, but also that it isnt artificial. Patients need merely think about what they want to do--and the artificial limb, chair, or robotic appendage does what its supposed to do. Case Western Reserve University is experimenting with implanted BCIs that have returned a measure of control to Kochevar. Now able to feed himself, hold a cup, and manipulate a fork, he explains, I think about what I want to do and the system does it for me. Its not a lot of thinking about it. When I want to do something, my brain does what it does. The researchers working with him think this is only the beginning.

With further development, we believe the technology could give more accurate control, allowing a wider range of actions, which could begin to transform the lives of people living with paralysis, Bolu Ajiboye, the lead scientist for this study told The Guardian.

Ajiboyes optimism is bolstered by the success of patients like Kochevar, who can slowly raise a mug to his lips and drink from a straw. For someone with quadriplegia to gain even this limited mobility is life-changing, and this advance charts the course for future innovations and provides powerful new tools to help those in need.

If researchers can use implanted BCIs to allow people to bypass their muscles, indeed, if these scientists can find a cost-effective, reliable way to work around a damaged or compromised nervous system, people suffering paraplegia, amputation, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's, and a host of other diseases that rob them of their independence, may soon find that the frustrations of daily life are lessened. For futurists and trendwatchers, the promise is clear.

This new breed of BCI, powered by advances in neuroscience, isnt just technology.

Its hope.

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Neurotechnology and the Future of Hope - Robotics Tomorrow (press release)