While some users of Twitter might be well served by adding a filter between their thoughts and tweets, researchers at the University of Wisconsin – Madison have demonstrated that one can tweet just by thinking – no keyboard, no touchscreen, just thoughts:
The interface consists, essentially, of a keyboard displayed on a computer screen. “The way this works is that all the letters come up, and each one of them flashes individually,” says Williams. “And what your brain does is, if you’re looking at the ‘R’ on the screen and all the other letters are flashing, nothing happens. But when the ‘R’ flashes, your brain says, ‘Hey, wait a minute. Something’s different about what I was just paying attention to.’ And you see a momentary change in brain activity.” [From Nitro Lab Log – Brain-Twitter Interface.]
The practical use of this research isn’t enabling even more random Twitter talk, but rather providing a means of communication for individuals with spinal cord and other injuries that render them incapable of talking or typing.
The first “direct from brain” Tweet was: “USING EEG TO SEND TWEET.” I guess we can give ’em a pass for posting in all caps, at least this time.
