Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a protocol for direct interaction between brain signals and an external device. The BCI system has been and continues to be improved, helping people use brain waves to induce mechanical movement. In the future, BCI can help us change the way we use devices every day.
Imagine that you are ordering online without using a mouse or keyboard, just thinking by yourself. You don’t need to do anything like pressing buttons, typing on the keyboard, or touching the screen. This sci-fi scenario could soon become reality.
Originating from research supporting people with paralysis, BCI is a ray of hope to help disabled people take more control of their lives. Bill Kochevar was in a bicycle accident nearly 10 years ago, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulder down. But last year, thanks to BCI, he was able to move his arm and hand for the first time in eight years.
With sensors implanted in Kochevar’s brain, it took him four months to train the system by thinking about specific movements, such as turning his wrist or grasping something. Sensors in the brain recorded and “relearned” the part of the brain that activated when thinking about a particular movement. Then another 36 electrodes were implanted in Kochevar’s arm. By thinking about what he wants to do, the signal from a sensor in Kochevar’s brain is sent to a sensor in his hand, allowing him to perform simple movements.
BCI assisted Kochevar in arm movement. (Image source: The Guardian).
The researchers are also looking to create wheelchairs that can be controlled with thoughts through sensors. Such a device would also allow people with total paralysis to answer simple questions like “yes or no” through thought.
In Vietnam, there have been initial studies on BCI. The “Digitalization system of human thinking” by the MIMAS team that won the first prize of Vietnamese Talent 2010 is an example. This system helps the patient to use his mind to communicate and operate the device at will. Although there are still many limitations compared to similar studies in the world, this is a premise for Vietnam to develop tools to support people with disabilities.
Not only for medical applications
Engineer Dang Toan Khoa (HCMC University of Science) said: “The main areas of BCI systems are usually divided into four categories: bioengineering applications: operating control devices. of people, giving hope to polio patients; Observation of human unconscious behavior: this field mainly studies deep brain activity, often researches when people are in deep sleep, to find out the inherent activities of the brain that govern the body, or research on mental states; neuroimaging: uses a real-time method that allows to observe the recorded neural signal with the corresponding action; human-machine interaction application: providing a method of interaction between a human and a machine or a computer.”
In fact, many technology companies in different fields are developing devices that can be controlled by thoughts. Recently, automaker Nissan introduced “brain-to-vehicle” headphones that can determine what drivers want to do, before they even do it. The purpose of this device is to help the car react more than twice as fast as the natural reaction time of the driver. Nissan says that on winding mountain roads, the new technology will make riding safer and easier.
Nissan’s device can predict the driver’s actions. (Photo source: Nissan).
Meanwhile, virtual reality company Neurable is developing a game that players can participate in and control with their minds. Players will wear a VR device with sensors attached and simply focus their thoughts on an object to control it, no manual controls at all. Another company, EmojiMe, designs headphones that can read brain waves, thereby representing the user’s emotional state in the form of emojis.
How does BCI work?
If what BCI can do is like a miracle, this is how miracles are made. BCI assesses brain activity through an electroencephalogram (EEG) nearly as sophisticated as the one used in hospitals. The device picks up tiny electrical signals that are generated when neurons in the brain communicate with each other. These signals include alpha, beta, delta, theta, and gamma waves, as well as other types of signals triggered by visual cues. Some signals can often be accompanied by special thoughts, allowing the system to predict the user’s wishes.
In the case of the Nissan headset, it tracks movement-related brain activity signals. This data is then compared with information collected by the vehicle itself. For example, when there is a turn 200 meters from the vehicle, the AI combines brainwave and sensor data with maps to figure out what to do, for example: “The driver is thinking about what to do. turning, but at this rate he will be slow, so make the turn now.”
Neurable, the developer of the world’s first game with mind control, claims to have the fastest and most accurate non-invasive BCI system for determining what the user wants to do, thanks to the system. machine learning (machine learning). The company has included its system in a VR game called Awakening, developed in conjunction with eStudiofuture.
Image from Neurable’s VR game, in which gamers move objects with their mind. (Image source: Neurable).
BCI in the future
Neurable has released a kit that allows developers to use its technology. They said they want to make brain sensors the new standard for VR devices in the future.
Meanwhile, Facebook and other companies are working to develop technology that allows users to type words just by thinking of them.
Another tech giant, Microsoft, recently filed a patent for a machine learning system that uses EEG waves to launch and control computer applications.
We may be able to control computers with our thoughts in the future.
In 2017, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded contracts to six research groups in the field of computer-brain interface (BCI). Since 2016, DARPA has announced that it will develop a neural interface system that improves communication between the brain and the digital world. The idea here is to convert electrical signals in the brain into binary code for use in computers.
With research and development interest from both research institutions as well as technology corporations, let’s look forward to the new steps of BCI in the future.