Dancer with ALS uses brainwaves to perform again through avatar

Dancer with ALS uses brainwaves to perform again through avatar21 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMark LobelandLiv McMahon,Technology reporterDentsuBreanna Olson's live performance in Amsterdam saw her guide the movements of a mixed-reality avatar with her brainwaves, through using an EEG-based device, alongside other dancersA ballerina with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) says she was able to dance again after her brainwaves were used to power an avatar live on-stage in Amsterdam.Breanna Olson, a mother of three, found out two and a half years ago she had ALS, the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) and which, with no known cure, weakens muscles and over time affects speech, swallowing and breathing.However, using sensors to measure the electrical activity transmitted from her brain, her motor signals could be converted into an digital avatar.In an interview with BBC News, Breanna said it was "exhilarating" and "magical" to see herself, in virtual form, take to the stage again.Breanna lives in Tacoma, in Washington state, and has trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance since childhood."I never dreamed that I would be able to dance on stage again," she said."It was just a beautiful and memorable moment I will remember for the rest of my life."The performance, held at the OBA Theatre in Amsterdam in December, was described at the time as the "first of its kind". It saw Breanna use an electroencephalogram (or EEG) headset, developed by Japanese tech firm Dentsu Labs in collaboration with data company NTT, to capture her brain activity and specific motor signals associated with imagining certain dance movements.A brainwave interface translating these signals into computer instructions then allowed her to convey which of these movements she wanted her mixed-reality avatar to dance in real-time.DentsuBreanna said receiving a standing ovation in Amsterdam when she performed in fro...