Second Life –> Second Hope

From AFP:

Paralysed man takes a walk in virtual world

Mon Jun 2, 12:18 PM ET

TOKYO (AFP) – A paralysed man using only his brain waves has been able to manipulate a virtual Internet character, Japanese researchers said Monday, calling it a world first.

The 41-year-old patient used his imagination to make his character take a walk and chat to another virtual person on the popular Second Life website.

The patient, who has suffered paralysis for more than 30 years, can barely bend his fingers due to a progressive muscle disease so cannot use a mouse or keyboard in the traditional way.

In the experiment, he wore headgear with three electrodes monitoring brain waves related to his hands and legs. Even though he cannot move his legs, he imagined that his character was walking.

He was then able to have a conversation with the other character using an attached microphone, said the researchers at Japan’s Keio University.

…

[Researcher Junichi] Ushiba says Second Life could motivate patients with severe paralysis, who are often too depressed to undergo rehabilitation.

For my dissertation, I did a lot of research on tetraplegia and virtual worlds. Never did I think of the practical benefits of combining the two in this obvious and utterly inspiring way. This story made me very happy.

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