Dennis McFarland in 2010.
Photo: Loretta MaltaStarting in the mid-1980s, Dennis McFarland worked in an Albany, N.Y., laboratory on research into what at first seemed like science fiction: making a direct connection between human brains and computers.
The technology involves using electrodes to monitor electrical activity from the brain and translating those signals to allow people to control computers, robotic arms or other electronic devices with their minds. Researchers hope the technology eventually will yield major improvements in the lives of people who are paralyzed, including those unable to communicate.
Dr. McFarland, who died April 29 of a heart attack at age 71, worked with Dr. Jonathan Wolpaw at the Wadsworth Center labs of the New York State Health Department. Dr. McFarland was a physiological psychologist with expertise in statistics and computer programming.
In lab tests, people using brain-computer interface technology have managed to turn lights on or off, manipulate robotic hands and type messages, among other tasks. So far, researchers say, very few people use the technology for routine tasks outside labs. Accurately interpreting brain signals remains difficult, and many disabled people prefer simpler tools, such as computer programs that can be operated through eye movements or blinking.
Dr. McFarland, who retired in 2018, enjoyed hiking in the Catskill and Adirondack mountains. He told one colleague he sometimes pondered scientific problems while roller skating.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh also have worked on brain-computer interface technology for decades. Their work includes developing ways for people to control prosthetic limbs with their brains via tiny electronic devices implanted in the brain.
Stanford University reported in 2017 that researchers there had made it possible for paralyzed people to type as many as eight words a minute through implanted electrodes that record brain signals.
Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute says the technology has the potential to enrich the lives of “tens of millions of people suffering from blindness, paralysis and other neurological injuries or diseases.”
The technology also has applications for electronic games and rehabilitation of people paralyzed by strokes, cerebral palsy and spinal- cord injuries.
Dennis John McFarland was born March 2, 1949, in Stamford, Conn., and grew up in Covington, Ky., where his father was a building contractor. In high school, he played offensive tackle on the football team. At the University of Kentucky, he earned a Ph.D. in physiological psychology in 1978.
He joined the Wadsworth Center in 1978 and did research on herpes before switching to brain-computer projects. He also conducted research into the mechanisms of hearing.
He is survived by his wife, Loretta Malta, a clinical psychologist, and three sons from an earlier marriage.
Dr. Malta recalled that, early in her relationship with Dr. McFarland, “he shoveled my car out of the snow after an epic storm…. He cleared a good 3 feet all around the car so there was absolutely no way I couldn’t get out. It was award-winning, and he won my heart for good that day.”
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