Controlling computers and other electronic gadgets with just a thought seems like technology that would decades before it becomes a reality but scientists are already developing computer chips that can connect to a computer system.

Brain computer interface technology is a way for a human brain to connect to an external computer system to control electronic devices like computer cursors or robotic arms. An electrode chip can be implanted into the brain to capture the electric signals from the brain. The computer will then translate these electric signals to the appropriate actions by applying signal processing algorithms.

The first ever human to be implanted with BCI chip was Matthew Nagle back in June 22, 2004. Nagle was a tetraplegic who was paralyzed from the waist down after being stabbed. John Donaghue, a Brown University professor and his team implanted an electrode in Nagle's brain that has allowed him to open his e-mail, control a computer mouse and draw on the screen. He could also send commands to an external prosthetic hand. The device was removed from him after a year.

The brain implant system or BrainGate uses a neural interface with a wired connection running out of the metal nub embedded in the skull. A new team, called BrainGate 2 is working on a wireless interface that would use the same sensors imbedded in the brain as the original BrainGate but would use a laser to transmit the data from the brain. BrainGate 2 is collaboration among engineers and doctors from Brown, Harvard, and Sanford.

While the BrainGate system uses implanted electrodes, another team from the University of Maryland is looking at a brain cap that will perform the same functions as the implanted electrode but without the invasive procedure.

"We are on track to develop, test and make available to the public- within the next few years -- a safe, reliable, noninvasive brain computer interface that can bring life-changing technology to millions of people whose ability to move has been diminished due to paralysis, stroke or other injury or illness," said Associate Professor of Kinesiology Jose Contreras-Vidal of the university's School of Public Health.

The brain cap would use EEG to read brain waves and translate them into commands for the computer or electronic device. Contreras-Vidal and his team have tested the brain cap with patients and have found that it can yield the same results as those from the implanted system. The training time for their brain cap system is also better than that of the invasive implanted brain computer interface system.

"EEG monitoring of the brain, which has a long, safe history for other applications, has been largely ignored by those working on brain-machine interfaces, because it was thought that the human skull blocked too much of the detailed information on brain activity needed to read thoughts about movement and turn those readings into movement commands for multi-functional high-degree of freedom prosthetics," said Contreras-Vidal.