The past several years have seen significant advances in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which allow users to interact with computers using only their thoughts.

Although originally developed for quadraplegics, the technology is now moving into the mainstream, which raises the tantalizing possibility that in coming years it will be possible to manipulate and position surgical instruments with the mind alone. This would allow for rapid and precise instrument placement, and of course you can immediately say goodbye to mispositioned cameras and lights.

Here’s how it works, in short. A user puts on a headpiece containing several electrodes that record surface electric potentials from the brain. The device then instructs the user to think about a series of specific actions (moving an object to the left, for example) and records the electrophysiological pattern generated by each. Once this process is over, the device just continuously monitors surface potentials and, when a familiar pattern is recognized, triggers the associated action.

Although it will clearly be several years before this technology can become a major tool in the operating room, an early version will be available to the general public at the end of 2008 (for $299, if you can believe it) and may allow for the development of some basic surgical applications.

(Photo from Emotiv Systems)