Monkeys can now type at a rate of 12 words per minute on a computer using only their minds, according to new research from Stanford University. The scientists hope that this technology might one day help severely paralyzed patients communicate — and they’re currently recruiting patients for a clinical trial to test it out.
Now, monkeys do not actually know how to read or speak English. Nor did they learn how to do so during this particular study. What the two monkeys in the study learned how to do — after a little coaching — was point to dots on a computer screen. The scientists designed a pattern of yellow dots to correspond to a grid of letters, and the dots flashed green in a specific order to spell out text.
via The Verge
