Conversations in BME

W ith this issue of the magazine, we are adding a new feature, ‘‘Conversations in BME,’’ in which distinguished academics and researchers discuss a biomedical issue in depth, highlighting pros and cons of different approaches. Our goal for this feature is to promote discussion as a way to facilitate scientific growth in our community and, in particular, among students. It is a pleasure to introduce the guests for this issue: Prof. Jos e del R. Mill an, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, and Prof. Jose M. Carmena, University of California, Berkeley, who discuss how noninvasive and invasive cortical signals can be used to control robotic systems in a successful way and examine the potentials and limits of noninvasive and invasive cortical neural prostheses. Representing excellence in their respective fields, Dr. Mill an and Dr. Carmena here share thoughtful ideas for the future of brain– machine interface technology. —Silvestro Micera