BCI allows paralysis patient to compose music using thoughts

The system was developed by musicians at Plymouth University and electronic engineers at Essex University and then tested on a patient with locked-in syndrome — a severe form of paralysis.

‘We’re talking about patients who are completely locked in,’ Ramaswamy Palaniappan of Essex University told The Engineer. ’The brain is active but the rest of the body is practically dead, so the only form of communication is by using their thoughts, and what we’re trying to do is tap into this.’

While BCI systems have in the past allowed patients to ‘play’ music, the current system is claimed to take it to new level by varying the amplitude of the signal to string together different combinations of notes. In addition, Palaniappan said this was the first time in the UK such a system was trialled on an actual patient rather than laboratory volunteers.

The research team used a method called steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), which combines electroencephalography (EEG) analysis with what the team terms a music engine module.