Hitachi develops system that reads what people think from their blood
flow

A Hitachi, Ltd. research institute has developed a basic technology
that can read what people think by measuring subtle changes in blood
flow in their brains, allowing seriously ill and handicapped people
to remotely operate electric appliances, researchers said.

Researchers at the electric giant's Advanced Research Laboratory hope
that the new technology will be applied to not only electric
appliances such as TV sets but also wheelchairs and other devices for
physically handicapped people.

"We'd like to produce a prototype of a remote controller within a
couple of years. We hope to use the results of our research on brain
science to develop information technology that is friendly to
people," researcher Hideaki Koizumi said.

The core of the technology is a so-called optical topography system
that irradiates near-infrared rays that are not harmful to human
bodies in a person's head, measures how blood flows in their brains --
particularly its prefrontal areas -- change depending on what they
think and shows it on images.

The pictures are converted into electronic signals and sent to remote
controllers of electric appliances.

Researchers will use the system to allow seriously ill and
handicapped people to switch on and off TV sets and change channels.
(Mainichi)

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