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Technique Developed to Help Disabled People Use Desktop PCs

A disabled Pakistani student uses a laptop at a computer training center in Karachi. (AFP)
A disabled Pakistani student uses a laptop at a computer training center in Karachi. (AFP)
    San Francisco, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Technique Developed to Help Disabled People Use Desktop PCs

A disabled Pakistani student uses a laptop at a computer training center in Karachi. (AFP)
A disabled Pakistani student uses a laptop at a computer training center in Karachi. (AFP)

US researchers have developed a new tcehnique that allows disabled people to use tradition desktop PCs without assistance, reported the German news agency (dpa).

A team from the BrainGate consortium, which specialized in adapting modern technology to serve disabled people, managed to develop a new interface that responds to a disabled person's needs.

It uses a small sensor fixed on the head, above the motor cortex to record neural activity directly and transform it into motor signals to navigate on commonly used tablet screens.

The sensor is an aspirin-sized implant that detects the signals associated with intended movements produced in the brain. Those signals are then decoded and routed to external devices.

BrainGate researchers used this technique to allow people to move robotic arms or to regain control of their own limbs, despite having lost motor abilities from illness or injury.

The innovation allows a disabled person to operate various apps usually used on a tablet, including email, music streaming, video sharing and web browsing.

The Techxplore website quoted Jaimie Henderson, a Stanford University neurosurgeon, who said: "For years, the BrainGate collaboration has been working to develop the neuroscience and neuroengineering to enable people who have lost motor abilities to control smart devices just by thinking about the movement of their own arm or hand."

"It was wonderful to see the participants express themselves or just find a song they want to hear," he added.

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Technology

Macron Pushes for Fast-Track Ban on Social Media for Children Under 15

France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Macron Pushes for Fast-Track Ban on Social Media for Children Under 15

France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants his government to fast-track the legal process to ensure that a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 can enter into force in September at the start of the next school year.

In a video released late Saturday by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Macron said he had asked his government to initiate an accelerated procedure so that the proposed legislation can move as quickly as possible and be passed by the Senate in time.

“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Macron said. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated. Neither by American platforms, nor by Chinese algorithms.”

Macron's announcement came just days after the British government said it will consider banning young teenagers from social media as it tightens laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

According to France's health watchdog, one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone. In a report published in December, it said that some 90% of children aged between 12 and 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58% of them using their devices for social networks.

The report highlighted a range of harmful effects stemming from the use of social networks, including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content associated with risky behaviors such as self-harm, drug use and suicide. Several families in France have sued TikTok over teen suicides they say are linked to harmful content.

Macron's office told The Associated Press that the video was addressed to lawmaker Laure Miller, who is sponsoring the bill that will be examined in a public session on Monday.

“We are banning social media for under-15s, and we are going to ban mobile phones in our high schools,” Macron said. “I believe this is a clear rule. Clear for our teenagers, clear for families, clear for teachers, and we are moving forward.”

In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law provoked fraught debates in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.

Technology

Meta Pauses Teen Access to AI Characters

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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Meta Pauses Teen Access to AI Characters

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Meta is halting teens' access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post Friday.

Meta Platforms Inc., which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said that starting in the “coming weeks,” teens will no longer be able to access AI characters “until the updated experience is ready”

This applies to anyone who gave Meta a birthday that makes them a minor, as well as “people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology.”

The move comes the week before Meta — along with TikTok and Google's YouTube — is scheduled to stand trial in Los Angeles over its apps' harms to children, The Associated Press said.

Teens will still be able to access Meta's AI assistant, just not the characters.

Other companies have also banned teens from AI chatbots amid growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children. Character.AI announced its ban last fall. That company is facing several lawsuits over child safety, including by the mother of a teenager who says the company’s chatbots pushed her teenage son to kill himself.

Technology

Musk Expects Europe, China to Approve Tesla’s Full Self-Driving System Soon

SpaceX and xAI CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2026. (EPA)
SpaceX and xAI CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2026. (EPA)
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Musk Expects Europe, China to Approve Tesla’s Full Self-Driving System Soon

SpaceX and xAI CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2026. (EPA)
SpaceX and xAI CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2026. (EPA)

Tesla is likely to win regulatory approval in Europe and China for ​its driver-supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system as early as next month, CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday, as the electric automaker looks to boost software revenue amid slowing vehicle sales.

While regulatory progress on FSD and early robotaxi deployments point to momentum in Tesla's AI ambitions, the technology remains nascent relative to a valuation that far outstrips those of many technology and automotive companies.

"We hope to get Supervised Full Self-Driving approval in Europe, hopefully next month, and then maybe a similar timing for China," Musk said at his first appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Tesla has been seeking approval for the system in Europe, where tougher vehicle safety ‌rules and a ‌fragmented regulatory framework have slowed deployment compared with the US
Dutch vehicle authority ‌RDW ⁠said ​in November ‌it expected to decide on FSD in February.

Tesla had said once it secures approval in the Netherlands, other EU countries can recognize the exemption and allow a rollout ahead of a formal EU approval.

In China, the smart features similar to FSD remain restricted to a limited number of vehicles as the US automaker had to halt the software update deliveries last March, citing the need for additional regulatory approval.

Tesla made a long-awaited update to its autopilot software in China last February. But some owners expressed disappointment that the system for which they paid ⁠more than $9,000 came with operational restrictions.

FSD is classified as an advanced driver assistance feature that requires drivers to remain attentive, and regulators have scrutinized it ‌amid concerns over the safety and oversight of automated driving technologies.

ROBOTAXI ‍UPDATE BOOSTS SHARES

Separately, Musk said Tesla has started ‍robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without safety monitors. The service started in June with a Tesla employee ‍in the front passenger seat overseeing the car's behavior.

Shares of the automaker closed 4.2% higher on Thursday after social media posts about the driverless robotaxi rides circulated. Tesla operates a ride-hailing service in California and has received permits to test and deploy its robotaxis in Texas, Arizona and Nevada.

While the deployment in Austin without safety monitors represents progress, Tesla's robotaxi ambitions ​remain well short of earlier targets to operate in several major US cities, highlighting the regulatory and safety hurdles that hinder rapid rollouts.

Registration of Tesla's vehicles fell 11.4% in California last ⁠year, with its market share of new cars in the US state slipping below 10%, according to a report by the California New Car Dealers Association.

The company reported a second consecutive drop in vehicle deliveries in 2025, ceding its position as the largest electric vehicle maker in the world to China's BYD.

HUMANOID ROBOT AMBITIONS

Musk has repeatedly said much of the artificial intelligence developed for autonomous vehicles will also underpin Tesla's planned humanoid robots. Musk said on Thursday that he expects robots to outnumber humans.

He said on Thursday that Tesla expects to sell its Optimus humanoid robots to the public by the end of next year, later than the timeline he had previously outlined.

Industry experts and executives have said scaling humanoid robots for real-world use is technically complex, in part because of a lack of data needed to train the AI models that underpin robot behavior.

"For Optimus, what they (the market) need ‌is credible evidence of scalable manufacturing, a regulatory path, and unit economics if possible," said Ken Mahoney, CEO of Mahoney Asset Management, a Tesla shareholder.