When we move, feel, speak or do almost anything, our brain produces certain patterns of electrical activity. And for decades, scientists have combined these impulses with machines not only to understand and treat brain disorders but also to help people with disabilities. The Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) restores movement in paralyzed people and helps treat neuropathy and psychiatric disorders.

BCI’s next frontier is like a low text message. Typing still poses incredibly difficult challenges for bioengineers. A study published today in Nature reports brain implants that allow people with restricted limb movements to communicate with text written on their heads. There is no need to use your hands.

Developed by a team at Stanford University, the artificial intelligence software, combined with electrodes embedded in the brain, can be “read” when asked to translate the thoughts of a man with general paralysis into handwriting. BCI converted fictitious letters and words into text on your computer screen. This is a form of “mental writing”. This technology can benefit millions of people around the world who are unable to type or speak due to disturbances in their limbs or vocal cords. The technology allows paralyzed people to perform dictations of thought at speeds close to the speed of a writer’s thumb.

Willett, who is a senior author of a research paper is cautiously optimistic about when text and voice decoding technology will be available. “It is difficult to predict when our method will be converted into a real device that everyone can buy,” he admits. “Sure, I hope it happens soon. Some companies are currently working on embedded BCI devices, but I don’t know when someone will be able to translate them. Not decades. I hope it will be in a few years.”