a technology that creates a direct connection from our brains to our computers

7/27/2019 A Technology That Creates a Direct Connection From Our Brains to Our Computers

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a technology that creates a direct connection from our brains to our computers

- is beginning to reach the market via toys and game controllers. In the

process, these thought-controlled sensors are inspiring innovations that, for

instance, allow you to call someone on your phone by simply thinking about

them.

From the first-ever thought-generated tweet, to the U.S. military funding the

development of advanced prosthetic limbs, to implantable brain sensors,

advancements in BCI are not only transforming the lives of people who

are locked inbecause of total paralysis, but are ushering in an era where we

will be able to build the Internet as fast as we can think.

Here's a snapshot of the stages of development that these technologies are

currently in. Also see Marshall Kirkpatrick's post The Internet Brain Implant:

Why We Should Say No. And if you have an opinion or a favorite BMI-based

innovation not mentioned please post it in the comments below.

First Person to Think a TweetOn April 1, 2009 University of Wisconsin doctoral studentAdam

Wilson became the first person to think a tweet: "USING EEG TO SEND

TWEET." Wilson was wearing a cap that was connected to a

standard electroencephalographwhile staring at a screen of flashing letters.

He wrote the software that connected his brain to Twitter in only a few days.

According to the press release, "Wilson is among a growing group ofresearchers worldwide who aim to perfect a communication system for users

whose bodies do not work, but whose brains function normally." Time

magazine recognized his work as the ninth best invention of 2009.

Ever Thought About Hacking a Thought-Sensing Toy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-in_syndromehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-in_syndromehttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_internet_brain_implant.phphttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_internet_brain_implant.phphttp://twitter.com/uwbcihttp://twitter.com/uwbcihttp://http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalographyhttp://http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalographyhttp://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933954,00.htmlhttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_internet_brain_implant.phphttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_internet_brain_implant.phphttp://twitter.com/uwbcihttp://twitter.com/uwbcihttp://http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalographyhttp://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933954,00.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-in_syndrome


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Mattel's MindFlex is a toy where you use your thoughts to move objects on a

gameboard. The device is a headband with sensors on each side, as well as

wires that that clip to your ear lobes.

Thought signals

read by the sensors control the speed of a fan that levitates a styrofoam ball.

Once you learn to keep the ball aloft you can turn a knob that will guide the

ball around an obstacle course. While this toy doesn't yet connect to your

computer it's one of the first inexpensive mass-produced devices, along

withForce Trainer to use a thought controlled chip. Beginning last fall,hackers

began looking for a way to alter the MindFlex, and by March of this year the

device washacked to give users a severe electrical shock if they didn't stay

relaxed.

NeuroSky

NeuroSky's first commercial product is a brainwave interface headset with

medical-grade data acquisition capabilities. The device has a non-gel sensor

and supports a Bluetooth headset with MP3 and VoIP capabilities. The first

function of the headset was to help users pay attention and focus; subsequent

upgrades now allow it to help users relax and meditate. If you're inclined to
http://mindflexgames.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Trainerhttp://hackaday.com/2009/11/07/mindflex-teardown/http://hackaday.com/2009/11/07/mindflex-teardown/http://hackaday.com/2009/11/07/mindflex-teardown/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kofSYRB-vh4&feature=player_embedded/http://www.neurosky.com/http://mindflexgames.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Trainerhttp://hackaday.com/2009/11/07/mindflex-teardown/http://hackaday.com/2009/11/07/mindflex-teardown/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kofSYRB-vh4&feature=player_embedded/http://www.neurosky.com/


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design your own programs based on this device you can download the SDK, as

well as learn more,here.

EPOC's NeuroheadsetWe featured the Emotive EPOC neuroheadset in our Smart Clothes You'll Be

Wearing Soon post. The device features 14 saline-based sensors and a

gyroscope. Primarily marketed to gamers, the device also helps people with

disabilities regain control of their lives.

Included with the device is the EmoKey, which is a lightweight application

running in your computer's background. It allows you to map out thought-

controlled keystrokes. This headset is the preferred device of the Dartmouth

Mobile Sensing Group, which created a brain-to-mobile interface that allows

you to call your friends by thinking about them.

Injectable Brain Implants

In the future, instead of wearing headsets we'll have the option of getting

implants. One of the devices being developed is a 1.3mm "multi-contact brain

probe" that is injected into you. Dr. Jon Spratleyfrom the University ofBirmingham says the device consists of four coiled antennas that are 1mm

across. Once implanted, they unfurl on the surface of the motor cortex portion

of the brain. Signals from the sensor are sent to a 16mm receiver that is placed

in the hole left behind by the needle. Spratley says that this will allow "patients

with conditions that lead to severe communications difficulties or muscle

control problems to be able to control communications devices and other

computer controlled aids."
http://www.neurosky.com/mindset/devtools.htmlhttp://www.emotiv.com/apps/epoc/299/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_smart_clothes_youll_soon_be_wearingp2.phphttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_smart_clothes_youll_soon_be_wearingp2.phphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc82Z_yfEwc&feature=player_embeddedhttp://postgrad.eee.bham.ac.uk/jps875/http://www.neurosky.com/mindset/devtools.htmlhttp://www.emotiv.com/apps/epoc/299/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_smart_clothes_youll_soon_be_wearingp2.phphttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_smart_clothes_youll_soon_be_wearingp2.phphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc82Z_yfEwc&feature=player_embeddedhttp://postgrad.eee.bham.ac.uk/jps875/


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Electrode Arrays, Prosthetics and MilitaryInvestment

Tiny electrodes physically plugged into a person's brain

was an idea made possible by the 100-electrode Utah Electrode Array at the

University of Utah. This device literally plugs into the brains of people who are

paralyzed so they can map out new ways to communicate. According to this

month's Neurosurgical Focus, the university's latest research suggests that

sensor advancements now make it possible for the instrument to sit on the

surface of the brain rather than penetrating it. This new, less-invasive

technique considerably extends the current 10-year life span of the previous

100-electrode array. This research is funded in part by the Pentagon's $55

million investment in thought-controlled prosthetic limbs. Some of the

military's most advance thought-controlled software technologies might find

their way to the public sector via this research program.
http://thejns.org/loi/fochttp://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/bio/restbio_tech/revprost/index.htmhttp://thejns.org/loi/fochttp://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/bio/restbio_tech/revprost/index.htm

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