Day Seventy-Six: harnessing brain power to change lives

I found this article tucked away on the ABC News website today, and it's a fascinating read. It outlines progress towards developing technology that could intercept signals sent by the brain to the vocal chords - something that could ultimately restore the power of speech to those currently without it. At the moment, the project team is concentrating its efforts on developing a wheelchair that can move in response to brain signals - but it's clear that the technology has many potential applications. Indeed, it's easy to see how it might be misappropriated. But, for now, efforts are rightly focused on realising its tremendous promise for those with limited speech or mobility.