(Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph)

Researchers in northern China's Tianjin have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows users to type words with their minds, Xinhua reported on Dec. 23.

The device, independently developed by China, provides a direct communication channel between the human brain and the external world, according to a researcher with Tianjin University.

The cap can pick up electroencephalograph (EEC) signals and send them to the computer. Then, the brain patterns, which carry the user's intent, are decoded by an algorithm on the device. Eventually, the information is converted into instructions and triggers an action.

Using the BCI, a graduate student in Tianjin University typed 69 characters in one minute via mind control, winning the first prize in a BCI competition held earlier this year. The speed proved faster than hand typing.

The device is applicable in medicine, rehabilitation, brain cognition, neural feedback and signal processing, researchers said, adding that the BCI technology will be adapted for civilian use, and the device will become easier to carry and use, becoming wearable in the future.