A study published in Nature combined the neural implant system BrainGate2 with text entry software and showed that it can help those suffering from paralysis type better, according to Engadget. Although the results only showed increases to six words per minute, they are nevertheless promising and researchers hope to utilize implants in other areas of the brain that could lead to even better improvements.
The study used two volunteers who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a neural disorder that ultimately leads to complete paralysis, according to IEEE Spectrum. The volunteers underwent brain surgery in order to use the BrainGate2, which utilized many tiny electrodes that were implanted into a specific region of the motor cortex.
"Once [these individuals] are able to control the cursor intuitively and with high precision, they can use it for other tasks, such as typing, general computer use, or anything you might use a cursor for," said Jaimie Henderson, lead researcher of the study and co-director of Stanford's Neural Prosthetics Translational Lab.
Future studies will likely focus more on areas of the brain that deal with people's intentions to move their limbs before they actually do. "We want to see if using those signals from the planning part of the brain helps improve performance," Henderson said.
The team also plans to use BrainGate2 to rewire the brain by sending electrical stimulation to the limbs, according to Business Insider.
