"The quadcopter simulation was not an arbitrary choice, the research participant had a passion for flying," said Donald Avansino, co-author and computer scientist at Stanford University.

A new brain-computer interface has achieved an “unprecedented” level of control for a person who isn’t able to use their limbs, enabling them to fly a quadcopter in a gaming environment.

“The quadcopter simulation was not an arbitrary choice, the research participant had a passion for flying,” added Donald Avansino, study co-author and a computer scientist at Stanford University.

Reference: Willsey MS, Shah NP, Avansino DT, et al. A high-performance brain–computer interface for finger decoding and quadcopter game control in an individual with paralysis. Nat Med. 2025. doi: ...

A high-performance brain–computer interface for finger decoding and quadcopter game control in an individual with paralysis. Nature Medicine, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03341-8 ...

A new brain-computer interface has achieved an “unprecedented” level of control for a person who isn’t able to use their limbs, enabling them to fly a quadcopter in a gaming environment.