A sensor implanted in a paralysed man's brain has enabled him to control objects by using his thoughts alone. The experimental set-up allowed the man, who has no limb movement at all, to open e-mail, play a computer game, and pinch a prosthetic hand's fingers. The US team behind the sensor hopes its technology can one day be incorporated into the body to restore the movement of paralysed limbs themselves. The Massachusetts-based team's study is published in the journal Nature. Matthew Nagle, 25 at the time of the trial, was left paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair after a knife attack in 2001. He was the first patient to try out the brain sensor. A team of scientists inserted the device, called a neuromotor prosthesis (NMP), into an area of the brain known as the motor cortex, which is responsible for voluntary movement. The NMP comprises an internal sensor that detects brain cell activity, and external processors that convert the activity into signals that can be recognised by a computer.

Although the patient's spinal cord had been severed for three years by the time of the trial, the scientists found that brain cell activity - or neural firing patterns - persisted in the patient's motor cortex. The electrodes in the NMP were able to record this activity and send it to a computer. The computer then translated the firing patterns into movement commands which could drive computer controls or artificial limbs.

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That is a major breakthrough for many people. I work with folks that suffer a variety of disabilities and this could benefit them.

However, it is kind of scary as it could be the start of total control over people in general

Tech advancement at this point is almost always a trade off.
Cell phones keep you in constant touch with others, which is both good and bad.
Becoming more cyborg will have trade offs also.

This old news actually,

I saw a doco where this scientist has remote controlled (live)rats. He's developing techniques to join nerves to circuitry, built a prosthetic arm for a guy that works exactly like his orginal arm(joined to the nerves and controlled by thought)

The scientist reckons in ten years they'll be able to do anything. Ultraviolet eye-sight, bionic limbs, all sorts of stuff.

All technology can be used for good and evil. I personally think advancements like this will have a lot more constructive than destructive uses.

I think that people under estimate how much governments would like to actually be able to control peoples minds.

There has been alot of opposition recently for the Labour government trying to introduce ID cards. In a local forum many links were posted about the possibility of inserting chips into peoples brains. Whilst at first I thought this was all very paranoid but after following the thread it became increasingly obvious that 'control' is exactly what they are after.

It comes in forms as subtle as putting very high levels of Flouride in the water supply - taken in high quantities flouride makes a person more submissive.

Whilst this breakthrough is excellent for many I would certainly exercise a degree of caution as to what it might lead to.

The fear of "Mind Control" dose not realy fit in with this and other science breakthroughs of this nature. Getting a computer program to identify and use Brain Signals will be hard enough. May be in a few years A computer may be able to effect the human mind , but as of right now some things that our brains do is still a mystery.

I have a friend who is confined to a wheel chair after being paralyzed in a swimming accident. He would love an implant to give him back the use of his legs!

I don't think you understand how the technology works. It simply detects and responds to brain activity. When it says 'mind control' it means allowing the mind to control; it's nothing to do with controlling the mind at all.

pfft. Old news and in Japan they have Honda has done better....

By the way i suggest Using proper titles as opposed to the misleading one here 'Mind Control' hardly.. 'Mind Used to Control" yes.

incredible.
this is amazing.

Oh, good..

Even more reason for humans to be lazy.

Great break through, but i suppose the conspiracists will be saying it will be used to control peoples minds which it could very well be, but a major break through for people like him.

this all looks like a B horror film i once saw...

rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat