In this lab, science is a calling | 08 - 09 Hospital and Research Report | About Us | Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

In this lab, science is a calling

In February, a study that could unlock the world of choice to children who can’t speak or move through optical brain imaging – a kind of ‘mindreading’ – was published in the Journal of Neural Engineering and reported around the world.

It’s no surprise that the study emanated from Tom Chau’s rehab engineering lab at Bloorview.

The biomedical engineer has a fundamental belief that guides the training program he’s built for top graduate students with scholarships from around the world.

“Each child is irreplaceable, unique and precious,” he says.

Given this premise, Tom and his students are developing body-machine interfaces to give children who can’t speak or move a way to communicate their intentions through brain waves, breathing patterns and heart rate. The goal is to translate a child’s physiological signals into control of a voice-output device or computer.

‘Each child is irreplaceable, unique and precious.’

“My students approach their work as a vocation, not just a degree or job,” Tom says.

“Vocation comes from the Latin word ‘vocare’ – to call. Applying scientific skills to create possibilities for children with disabilities is a personal calling to each. Many volunteer in other areas of the hospital. They want to be a living part of the journey that families take.”

Shining a light, unlocking a mind

In February’s Journal of Neural Engineering, University of Toronto PhD student Sheena Luu decodes a person’s preference for one of two objects with 80 per cent accuracy by measuring the intensity of near-infrared light absorbed in brain tissue.

Wearing a headband fitted with fibreoptics that emit light into the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, adults were shown two drinks on a computer monitor, one after the other, and asked to make a decision about which they liked more.

“When your brain is active, the oxygen in your blood increases and depending on the concentration, it absorbs more or less light,” Sheena says. She was able to teach a computer to recognize the unique pattern of brain activity associated with preference for each subject.

Last updated: November 17 2010

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