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Author Topic: [HowStuffWorks] [BCI] How Brain Computer Interfaces Work  (Read 3674 times)

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[HowStuffWorks] [BCI] How Brain Computer Interfaces Work
« on: June 14, 2019, 04:39:29 PM »
source: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm

Excerpts:

How Brain-computer InterfacesWiki (BCI) Work



As the power of modern computers grows alongside our understanding of the human brain, we move ever closer to making some pretty spectacular science fiction into reality. Imagine transmitting signals directly to someone's brain that would allow them to see, hear or feel specific sensory inputs.

Consider the potential to manipulate computers or machinery with nothing more than a thought. It isn't about convenience -- for severely disabled people, development of a brain-computer interface (BCI) could be the most important technological breakthrough in decades. In this article, we'll learn all about how BCIs work, their limitations and where they could be headed in the future.

The Electric Brain

The reason a BCI works at all is because of the way our brains function. Our brains are filled with neurons, individual nerve cells connected to one another by dendrites and axons. Every time we think, move, feel or remember something, our neurons are at work. That work is carried out by small electric signals that zip from neuron to neuron as fast as 250 mph [source: Walker]. The signals are generated by differences in electric potential carried by ions on the membrane of each neuron.
 
Although the paths the signals take are insulated by something called myelin, some of the electric signal escapes. Scientists can detect those signals, interpret what they mean and use them to direct a device of some kind. It can also work the other way around.

For example, researchers could figure out what signals are sent to the brain by the optic nerve when someone sees the color red. They could rig a camera that would send those exact signals into someone's brain whenever the camera saw red, allowing a blind person to "see" without eyes.

BCI Input and Output

https://s.hswstatic.com/gif/brain-computer-interface-2.gif

One of the biggest challenges facing brain-computer interface researchers today is the basic mechanics of the interface itself. The easiest and least invasive method is a set of electrodes -- a device known as an electroencephalograph (EEG) -- attached to the scalp. The electrodes can read brain signals. However, the skull blocks a lot of the electrical signal, and it distorts what does get through.

To get a higher-resolution signal, scientists can implant electrodes directly into the gray matter of the brain itself, or on the surface of the brain, beneath the skull. This allows for much more direct reception of electric signals and allows electrode placement in the specific area of the brain where the appropriate signals are generated. This approach has many problems, however. It requires invasive surgery to implant the electrodes, and devices left in the brain long-term tend to cause the formation of scar tissue in the gray matterWiki. This scar tissue ultimately blocks signals.
 
Regardless of the location of the electrodes, the basic mechanism is the same: The electrodes measure minute differences in the voltage between neurons. The signal is then amplified and filtered. In current BCI systems, it is then interpreted by a computer program, although you might be familiar with older analogue encephalographs, which displayed the signals via pens that automatically wrote out the patterns on a continuous sheet of paper.

In the case of a sensory input BCI, the function happens in reverse. A computer converts a signal, such as one from a video camera, into the voltages necessary to trigger neurons. The signals are sent to an implant in the proper area of the brain, and if everything works correctly, the neurons fire and the subject receives a visual image corresponding to what the camera sees.

Another way to measure brain activity is with a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRIWiki). An MRI machine is a massive, complicated device. It produces very high-resolution images of brain activity, but it can't be used as part of a permanent or semipermanent BCI. Researchers use it to get benchmarks for certain brain functions or to map where in the brain electrodes should be placed to measure a specific function.

For example, if researchers are attempting to implant electrodes that will allow someone to control a robotic arm with their thoughts, they might first put the subject into an MRI and ask him or her to think about moving their actual arm. The MRI will show which area of the brain is active during arm movement, giving them a clearer target for electrode placement.

So, what are the real-life uses of a BCI? Read on to find out the possibilities.

CORTICAL PLASTICITY

For years, the brain of an adult human was viewed as a static organ. When you are a growing, learning child, your brain shapes itself and adapts to new experiences, but eventually it settles into an unchanging state -- or so went the prevailing theory.

Beginning in the 1990s, research showed that the brain actually remains flexible even into old age. This concept, known as cortical plasticityWiki, means that the brain is able to adapt in amazing ways to new circumstances. Learning something new or partaking in novel activities forms new connections between neurons and reduces the onset of age-related neurological problems. If an adult suffers a brain injury, other parts of the brain are able to take over the functions of the damaged portion.

Why is this important for BCIs? It means that an adult can learn to operate with a BCI, their brain forming new connections and adapting to this new use of neurons. In situations where implants are used, it means that the brain can accommodate this seemingly foreign intrusion and develop new connections that will treat the implant as a part of the natural brain.

THOUGHT CONTROL ?

If we can send sensory signals to someone's brain, does that mean thought control is a something we need to worry about? Probably not. Sending a relatively simple sensory signal is difficult enough. The signals necessary to cause someone to take a certain action involuntarily is far beyond current technology. Besides, erstwhile thought-controllers would need to kidnap you and implant electrodes in an extensive surgical procedure, something you'd likely notice.

Current BCI Drawbacks and Innovators



Two people in Germany use a brain-computer interface to write "how are you?"

Although we already understand the basic principles behind BCIs, they don't work perfectly. There are several reasons for this.

The brain is incredibly complex. To say that all thoughts or actions are the result of simple electric signals in the brain is a gross understatement. There are about 100 billion neurons in a human brain [source: Greenfield]. Each neuron is constantly sending and receiving signals through a complex web of connections. There are chemical processes involved as well, which EEGs can't pick up on.

The signal is weak and prone to interference. EEGs measure tiny voltage potentials. Something as simple as the blinking eyelids of the subject can generate much stronger signals. Refinements in EEGs and implants will probably overcome this problem to some extent in the future, but for now, reading brain signals is like listening to a bad phone connection. There's lots of static.

The equipment is less than portable. It's far better than it used to be -- early systems were hardwired to massive mainframe computers. But some BCIs still require a wired connection to the equipment, and those that are wireless require the subject to carry a computer that can weigh around 10 pounds. Like all technology, this will surely become lighter and more wireless in the future.

BCI Innovators

A few companies are pioneers in the field of BCI. Most of them are still in the research stages, though a few products are offered commercially.

Neural Signals is developing technology to restore speech to disabled people. An implant in an area of the brain associated with speech (Broca's area) would transmit signals to a computer and then to a speaker. With training, the subject could learn to think each of the 39 phonemes in the English language and reconstruct speech through the computer and speaker [source: Neural Signals].

NASA has researched a similar system, although it reads electric signals from the nerves in the mouth and throat area, rather than directly from the brain. They succeeded in performing a Web search by mentally "typing" the term "NASA" into Google [source: New Scientist].

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems is marketing the BrainGate, a neural interface system that allows disabled people to control a wheelchair, robotic prosthesis or computer cursor [source: Cyberkinetics].

Japanese researchers have developed a preliminary BCI that allows the user to control their avatar in the online world Second Life [source: Ars Technica].
« Last Edit: June 14, 2019, 04:44:05 PM by Chip »
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