There is nothing quite as potent as the power of the mind – it is the one thing that keeps us going even through the darkest night for sure, as the glimmer of hope is there to ensure that life is worth living and fighting for. Those who happen to have severe disabilities and lack any kind of motor function would have to rely on others in order to do everything on their behalf. Still, their mental faculties are retained, and science intends to tap into such organ’s electrical activity. One such project involves researchers over at the University of Malta, where they have come up with an EEG-based system which is capable of detecting steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) as part of a response to the user checking out flashing buttons on a screen This would enable the user to control a music player using their brain waves alone.
Does this not remind you of a vehicle that is “driven” using one’s thought power alone? SSVEPs happen to be electrical signals that are produced by the brain in response to the flashing of lights at certain frequencies, and with the help of a computer screen that has been positioned in front of a human volunteer, it shows off a number of squares, with each of it flashing at various frequencies. Focusing on the flashing of one of the squares, which will represent one of the buttons on a music player, would allow the user to generate a specific SSVEP for the EEG to pick up. Detecting the appropriate SSVEP would then allow the system to activate the relevant music player button.
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