This Toronto girl can use her thoughts to move her wheelchair. Here's how
While it sounds like something out of an X-Men movie, young patients at Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital can really move objects with their own thoughts.
The hospital has been researching Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology and is the first pediatric hospital worldwide to use it in a clinical setting.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The technology allows 8-year-old Giselle Alnaser to move her Power Chair Trainer, which she demonstrated to CTV News Toronto. It starts by teaching the software how Alnaser’s brain works with sensors on a headset detecting her brain activity pattern while at rest.
It registers a different pattern when Alnaser thinks more actively; her mom typically cheers her on as she does.
Dots on a computer screen show the difference between a resting state, indicated with a red dot, and her desire for movement indicated with a green dot.
The headset is connected to a platform, where her wheelchair is mounted, and which moves forward when she commands it.
“It’s really going to give kids the opportunity to experience the joy of movement,” occupational therapist Susannah Van Damme said.
Samah Darwish says her daughter was thrilled with the technology when she first tried it three years ago.
“She loved it. She was surprised how she really activated something by herself without needing to ask anyone to help her with it.”
On this particular day, Alnaser is able to navigate her way through a colourful tunnel. On other days, her headset is connected to a bubble-making machine that spurts soap bubbles when triggered by her brain commands.
While she has one command right now, her therapists hope Alnaser can soon develop a different pattern of brain waves to create a second way to command devices.
For now, the technology is only used recreationally. It can’t be used to navigate around a school, for example. But it can offer kids who are often isolated a chance to play interactively in small groups at the rehab centre.
Naser Alnaser, Giselle’s father, says it offers a glimpse of what the future might hold.
“It’s really emotional to start with” he says, “and yeah, it’s like seeing a glimpse of hope”.
This March, the BCI program is being highlighted during “Capes for Kids” week. Holland Bloorview’s annual fundraising campaign hopes to raise a million dollars for programs like BCI, summer camps, music therapy and more.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of US dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Should I invest with a human or a robot? Traditional firms vs. robo-advisors
Investors considering where to park their money have a choice: go with a traditional financial adviser or trust in an algorithm. Here are the pros and cons of both.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Imagine living in a 4-foot body that doesn't develop chronic diseases
Nathaly Paola Castro Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.