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| Researcher Kuniaki Ozawa from Hitachi introduces the device. |
Japanese scientists have developed a device that allows patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to “speak” by indicating “yes” or “no” through measurements of blood flow in the brain.
The product, named “Kokoro-gatari” or Mind-talk, results from a collaboration between Hitachi Group, Excel of Mechatronix, and the Japanese Association of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a motor neuron disease that paralyzes all controlled muscles, leaving patients unable to perform even the smallest movements, such as blinking. However, patients can still think normally, allowing them to control blood flow in the brain. Leveraging this characteristic, the research team developed the Mind-talk device, which consists of a band emitting near-infrared rays worn on the forehead to measure blood flow in the brain.
When a patient wants to indicate “yes,” they actively count or sing in their head, which causes blood to flow to the frontal lobe; at this moment, Mind-talk detects the increased blood flow. To indicate “no,” the patient simply relaxes to maintain a stable blood flow. The response appears in just 36 seconds, with an accuracy of up to 80%.
This impressive project began with a phone call to Hitachi in 1999 from a husband caring for his wife with severe ALS. “Caregivers are often unsure of how to please the patient, and until now, there has been no way to address this issue,” said Kensuke Yanagita, President of the Association of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. “While Mind-talk may lack 20% accuracy to be perfect, what it has achieved is a significant leap from zero. At least caregivers can know whether the patient feels satisfied or not.”
Mind-talk is expected to be available in the Japanese market by the end of this year, priced at no more than $4,200.
My Linh (according to AFP)
