Four people were able to control a computer using their thoughts and an electrode-studded thinking cap, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

　They said their set-up could someday be adapted to help disabled people operate a motorized wheelchair or artificial limb.

　While experiments have allowed a monkey to control a computer with its thoughts, electrodes were implanted into the animal''s brain. This experiment, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, required no surgery and no implants.

　The results show that people can learn to use scalp-recorded electroencephalogram rhythms to control rapid and accurate movement of a cursor in two dimensions, Jonathan Wolpaw and Dennis McFarland of the New York State Department of Health and State University of New York in Albany wrote.

　They tested their device on four people——two partly paralyzed men who used wheelchairs and a healthy man and woman.

　The key was a special computer algorithm——a program that translated the brain signals into a meaningful directive of what the users wanted the computer to do.

　The impressive noninvasive multidimensional control achieved in the present study suggests that a noninvasive brain control interface could support clinically useful operation of a robotic arm, a motorized wheelchair, the researchers wrote.

　The two disabled men were better at the task, the researchers found. This could have to do with stronger motivation or perhaps a brain forced to be more adaptable to cope with the injuries that left the men disabled, the researchers said.

　一、全文翻譯

　美國日前公布了的一項試驗研究成果：4個試驗者戴上布滿電極的“思考帽子”后，可以運用他們的思想來直接控制電腦。

　據(jù)路透社12月6日報道，當日參與這項試驗的研究人員對外發(fā)布了這項試驗結果。他們說，試驗中的這種裝置日后將會投入應用，以幫助殘疾人駕駛機動輪椅和操縱假肢。

　在此之前，早已有研究人員做過試驗：通過在猴腦里植入的電極而讓猴子操縱電腦。但是，現(xiàn)在進行的這項試驗卻不需要任何手術，也不需要在大腦里植入任何東西。這項研究成果發(fā)表在最新一期的《美國國家科學院院刊》上。

　報道說，研究人員對兩位使用輪椅的局部殘疾人和兩位健康人進行了試驗，這4個人都是志愿參與試驗的。研究人員讓這4個人頭戴含64個電極的帽子坐在一個電視屏幕前，電極帽子將記錄下他們大腦的活動。

　參與這項研究的紐約州立大學的丹尼斯·麥克法蘭和紐約州政府衛(wèi)生部的喬納森·沃爾波在研究報告中說：“試驗結果表明，人們能通過頭皮記錄的腦電圖來同時控制電腦光標的速度和光標的準確移動。”他們解釋說，這個試驗的關鍵在于一個特殊的電腦運算法則，也就是一個電腦程序。這個程序能將人大腦發(fā)出的信號翻譯成有實際意義的指令，這個指令會要求電腦去完成人們所希望它做的事情。

　目前的這種令人印象深刻的非侵入的多維控制研究顯示，非侵入大腦控制接口可以支持機器人的手術操作、操控機械車輪。

　研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，兩位殘疾人對試驗的反應要好于兩位健康人，這可能是由于殘疾人有更強烈的完成試驗的愿望，或者由于他們的大腦已經(jīng)習慣于去應付自身的殘疾，因而更為敏感。

　二、單詞

　1、operate　做出、操作

　Who operates that machine？

　那臺機器由誰操作？

　The machine is not operating properly.

　機器運轉得不正常。

　2、artificial　人工的、人造的、假的；矯揉造作的；

　The room was decorated with artificial flowers.

　屋子里有假花裝飾。

　Her artificial manner made me sick.

　她那裝腔作勢的樣子令我惡心。

　3、accurate　準確的；

　His information was accurate.

　他的情報準確。

　4、cursor　屏幕上的光標；

　5、dimension　尺寸；面積、大小；[數(shù)學]維；

　What are the dimensions of the box？

　這個盒子的尺寸多大？

　Time is sometimes called the fourth dimension.

　時間有時被稱為第四維。

　6、paralyze(v.)　使癱瘓；使麻痹；

　A general strike paralyzed the coal industry.

　總罷工使煤礦工業(yè)陷于癱瘓。

　7、algorithm　算法，規(guī)則系統(tǒng)；

　8、interface　界面、[電腦]接口；

　三、句型分析

　This could have to do with(stronger motivation or perhaps a brain [forced to be more adaptable to cope with the injuries that left the men disabled])the researchers said.