Sunday, September 06, 2009 LONDON: A 'telepathic' microchip that enables paraplegics to control computers has been developed by Dr Jon Spratley, a British scientist. Dr Jon Spratley says his device could motor neuron sufferers such as Stephen Hawking, operate PCs and television by thought alone. The chip is implanted onto the surface of the brain, where it monitors electronic 'thought' pulses. While paraplegics may be unable to move their limbs, their brains still produce an electronic signal when they try. It means paraplegics, amputees or those with motor neurone disease, such as Stephen Hawking, could be able to operate light switches, PCs and even cars by the power of thought alone. The device picks up neural signals from the brain's motor cortex, and captures the moment a paralysed patient tries to move their limbs. This impulse is then transmitted to a relay station implanted in the skull, which in turn sends the signal to a receiver housed in simple computers. Tests have shown the technology to work in the laboratory, but trials are yet to begin on humans.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
Comments