The BCI at 50
The first time anyone heard of the “brain-computer interface” was in June 1973 when UCLA researcher Jacques Vidal published “Toward Direct Brain-Computer Communication” in the Annual Review of Biophysics and Bioengineering. What this means is that an important anniversary is coming our way. Hitting the half-century mark makes this the perfect time to reflect on progress made thus far and advances in the BCI that are likely to be made in the next half-century.
Vidal opens his seminal article with this brief definition of an EEG:
"Electroencephalographic or EEG signals collected on the human scalp are sustained fluctuations of electrical potential that reflect corresponding variations in the upper layers of the brain cortex below the scalp surface."
He then wonders:
"Can these observable electrical brain signals be put to work as carriers of information in man-computer communication or for the purpose of controlling such external apparatus as prosthetic devices or spaceships?"
Fifty years later, we know they can. Many who have lost limbs today are helped by BCIs that drive prosthetic devices. BCIs aren’t yet controlling spaceships but that appears to be just a matter of time. DARPA is funding major programs to develop BCIs to enable pilots to learn more quickly, control three drones at once, and improve pilot performance in aerial combat. When AI is integrated into human thought and actions via the BCI, new capabilities can be the result. That’s why tech giants like Google and Facebook are making big investments in developing the BCI. If Facebook’s research achieves its desired result, we’ll be able to “type” messages just by thinking the words we want to send.
We posted recently about Kernel Flow, which is both powerful and pricey, being essentially a TD-fNIRS scanner that’s been shrunk and packaged in a snazzy helmet. Today the Flow costs $50,000, but that’s sure to come down as production ramps up. They’re selling mostly to companies and research institutions today, but a consumer model appears to be in sight.
Other smartcaps offer promising features. For example:
Emotiv offers an "adaptable neurotech ecosystem" called the MN8. It's the 'most discreet" EEG headset yet, with 2-channel "EEG buds" hanging from the ears like over-sized hearing aids. Use it to "measure and analyze the changes in your employees’ levels of stress and attention." Integrate brain data dynamically in software solutions that make people "feel and learn better, while being safer and more productive." Emotiv calls the MN8 the "centerpiece of an enterprise ecosystem" that leverages the "power of contextualized neuroinformatics to improve work wellness, safety, training and productivity strategies."
ANT Neuro is targeting a highly mobile EEG cap called eego sports to researchers who work with athletes and want to explore "the mechanisms underlying cognitive processes and body motion." Recordings can be done in "nearly any environment on nearly any subject, even world-class athletes at work."
Cognionics prides itself on offering the most accurate EEG systems, including a mobile EEG cap with 128 channels.
NeuroSky's catchy tagline is "Body and Mind. Quantified." They offer a range of consumer-targeted "MindWave" EEG headsets for under $200 which they claim enable you to play games, steer a miniature helicopter in flight, and improve your learning effectiveness.
There are more we’re following, with sci-fi names like OpenBCI, interaXon, g.tec, and CREmedical.
