Summary

Summary of “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet”

Sixto Ortiz Jr.’s article “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet” is about the work that is being done to make brain-computer interfaces (BCI). BCIs read electrical signals sent through the brain and translate these signals into a form that computers can understand and then convert into some action. This technology is good for people who have spinal cord injuries, allowing them to control computers, televisions, or other devices. BCI is a wonderful technology but it still has a long way to go due to problems with user acceptance and signal accuracy.

Ortiz Jr. writes that research first began on BCI in the early 1970’s. Through the years, BCI sensors were placed in rats, mice, monkeys, and humans. In the 1990’s, a sensor was implanted in a paralyzed man’s brain, and he was able to control a computer cursor.

As with most types of technology, there are a couple ways that BCI’s can be made. There are invasive techniques, in which the sensor is implanted directly on the brain, and noninvasive techniques, in which sensors are placed on caps covering the brain and skull. The decision between the two is not clear. Invasive techniques are more effective but require surgery and can cause infections. Noninvasive techniques can read a wider range of brain activity.

Many different types of BCI’s already have been made using invasive techniques. A company called Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems has made the Brain-Gate Neural Interface System. This device gives patients with spinal cord injuries the ability to control a computer. Researchers at Brown University on the other hand are trying to learn the way the brain turns our thoughts into our actions. They have been able to capture brain signals and convert them into a computer-readable format.

Some companies have taken the noninvasive approach. The New York State Public Health Department’s Wadsworth Center is using an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap on the outside of the skull to capture brain signals. In order for the system to be more effective, the subjects are taught to control their thought process. This machine allows people with speech problems to communicate. This is done by showing the patient letters and images and their brainwaves spike when they see something they want to say. This process is currently slow and the researchers are trying to design a faster system.

Ortiz Jr. continues by writing that other types of technologies are also being used. Japan’s Honda Motor Corp. and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have used brain signals to control robot movements. Subjects are placed in a MRI scanner and move their hands and fingers. The MRI signals are sent to a computer, and the computer tells the robot hand the way it should move. Since this system requires a MRI machine, it is not very portable. This adds to the problems that BCI systems already face.

Researchers at Stanford University are trying to identify the signals the brain makes when it is planning to move the body. Knowing this could help improve mathematical estimates of how the body moves, which in turn would create faster systems. This creation would help to push these systems into a realm that has not currently been reached.

A different type of research is being done at Columbia University. Scientists at Columbia University’s Laboratory for Intelligent Imaging and Neural Computing are creating the fastest image searching tool. The system uses the brain’s ability to notice elements in images much faster than humans. The user wears an EEG cap and is shown images very quickly. The system ranks the images based on the brain’s activity when each image was shown. This system would be vastly superior to computers, which cannot recognize objects in images.

Canada’s Carleton University is using a BCI system to replace fingerprint scans and eye scans. EEG signals generated by the brain are unique to each person. The system has not yet been built, but in concept users would have a thought as a password. The system would recognize their thought as the password and allow them to enter. This would allow users to change their password easily.

Although BCI technology is improving every day, it is still not ready for widespread use. Since it is so new, researches are still trying to adapt it to different patients. BCIs are also very expensive and very large. They are complex to use and require technicians to be present. Users must learn to control their thoughts, which can take months. Companies are not investing the time and money needed to make effective products. The accuracy of the systems is not high enough either.

BCI is a great new technology. It can help disabled people control computers or other devices. As time moves on, these systems should become more accurate and faster. Even farther in the future, they could help control complex robots or allow paralyzed patients to move their limbs again. It seems that the only way to fix the problems of today is to wait until tomorrow.

Works Cited

Sixto Ortiz Jr. “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet.” 25 Feb 2008 .