news: Eight years ago, a patient lost speech due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which causes progressive paralysis. Now, after voluntarily receiving a brain implant, the woman has been able to communicate short phrases at a speed close to normal speech.
Why it matters: Even in the age of keyboards, thumb typing, emoji, and internet abbreviations, voice remains the fastest way to communicate between people. Scientists at Stanford University say their volunteers using a brain-reading implant communicated at a rate of 62 words per minute, breaking the previous record and three times the previous best level.
What’s next: Although the study has not yet been formally reviewed, experts hailed the results as a major breakthrough. The findings could pave the way for experimental brain-reading technology to move out of the lab and soon become a useful product. read more.
—Antonio Regalardo
Determined to enjoy the Year of the Rabbit to the fullest
Chinese journalist Yang Zeyi
Last Sunday was Lunar New Year, the most important holiday in China and several other Asian cultures. This should be our chance to reset and seize new opportunities.
In that spirit, I recently revisited some of my favorite China-centric MIT Technology Review stories from the last year, and went back to the people I interviewed. I asked if they had solved any sticky challenges and what hopes they had for the Year of the Rabbit.
