Adaptive technology

I'm the schools patent attorney. So I'm used to getting shown oddball items that researchers have come up with. This one was a bit odder than usual. She had a laptop, a small rodent in a cage with something electronic attached to one wall and a sort of skullcap.

"As you know, we've been doing a lot of research on brain activity in mammals. Both detecting specific patterns and using implants to send info to the brain."

I nodded, wondering where this was going.

She turned on the laptop and set it so we both could see, and she plugged a USB cable from the cage into it. Finally she picked up the skullcap and held it out to me.

"The subject rodent has implants that receive signals from the sensor in this cap. It responds to them by moving to the sensing pad in the cage and poking it at a location corresponding to what the user is thinking."

She put on the cap, pushed a button on it, and the animal moved to the solid side of the cage. On the laptop, the cursor moved to make selections

I thought it might be some sort of prank until she let me try the cap. All I had to do was think about moving the cursor and it did.

"So why the animal? Why not just interpret the signals directly on the computer?"

"They aren't easy to decode, but apparently they are similar enough between species that the animal's brain can interpret them reliably after a short period of training. This is the most conveniently sized lab animal that can do the job. Being cute when not being used is a bonus."

I nodded again. I could see that watching it run around the cage and play once the cap was switched off would be relaxing.

"So, let me this straight? You want to patent this assistive technology?"

"Yes, that's right. We want to patent this design of computer mouse..."