INTRODUCTION
• A BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE (BCI) IS A TECHNOLOGY WHICH ALLOWS A HUMAN TO
CONTROL A COMPUTER, PERIPHERAL, OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH THOUGHT.
• IT DOES SO BY USING ELECTRODES TO DETECT ELECTRIC SIGNALS IN THE BRAIN WHICH ARE
SENT TO A COMPUTER.
• THE COMPUTER THEN TRANSLATES THESE ELECTRIC SIGNALS INTO DATA WHICH IS USED TO
CONTROL A COMPUTER OR A DEVICE LINKED TO A COMPUTER.
MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENTS
• 1924 ,HANS BERGER, A GERMAN NEUROLOGIST WAS THE FIRST TO RECORD HUMAN BRAIN ACTIVITY BY MEANS OF EEG.
• 1970, RESEARCH ON BCIS BEGAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES (UCLA).
• 1978, A PROTOTYPE WAS IMPLANTED INTO A MAN BLINDED IN ADULTHOOD.
• FOLLOWING YEARS OF ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION, THE FIRST NEUROPROSTHETIC DEVICES IMPLANTED IN HUMANS
APPEARED IN THE MID-1990S.
• 2004 MATTHEW NAGLE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PERSONS TO USE A BCI TO RESTORE FUNCTIONALITY LOST DUE TO
PARALYSIS.
• 2013 DUKE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTED THE BRAINS OF TWO RATS WITH ELECTRONIC INTERFACES
THAT ALLOWED THEM TO DIRECTLY SHARE INFORMATION, IN THE FIRST-EVER DIRECT BRAIN-TO-BRAIN INTERFACE.
Paraplegic in exoskeleton suit making the opening kick in the
World Cup (2014)
Paralyzed woman able to type 8 words per minute just using her
mind (2017)
BCI
WORKING
Basic block diagram of a BCI system incorporating signal detection, processing and deployment
BASIC MECHANISM
• WIRES FROM EACH ELECTRODE TRANSMIT
THEIR MEASUREMENTS TO A COMPUTER.
• THE ELECTRODES MEASURE MINUTE
DIFFERENCES IN THE VOLTAGE BETWEEN
NEURONS.
• THE SIGNAL IS THEN AMPLIFIED AND FILTERED.
• THE COMPUTER PRODUCES A GRAPH
SHOWING THE READINGS FROM EACH
ELECTRODE.
Digital EEG
BCI Types
Partial
Invasive Invasive Non Invasive
Neurosurgery ECoG EEG MEG fMRI
• In Invasive techniques, special devices have to be used
to capture data (brain signals), these devices are
inserted directly into the human brain by a critical
surgery.
• In Semi-invasive, devices are inserted into the skull on
the top of the human brain.
• In general, non-invasive are considered the safest and
low-cost type of devices.
APPLICATIONS
• PROVIDE DISABLED PEOPLE WITH COMMUNICATION, ENVIRONMENT CONTROL, AND MOVEMENT RESTORATION.
• PROVIDE ENHANCED CONTROL OF DEVICES SUCH AS WHEELCHAIRS, VEHICLES, OR ASSISTANCE ROBOTS FOR PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES.
• PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CHANNEL OF CONTROL IN COMPUTER GAMES.
• MONITOR ATTENTION IN LONG-DISTANCE DRIVERS OR AIRCRAFT PILOTS, SEND OUT ALERT AND WARNING FOR
AIRCRAFT PILOTS.
• DEVELOP INTELLIGENT RELAXATION DEVICES.
• CONTROL ROBOTS THAT FUNCTION IN DANGEROUS OR INHOSPITABLE SITUATIONS (E.G.,
UNDERWATER OR IN EXTREME HEAT OR COLD).
• CREATE A FEEDBACK LOOP TO ENHANCE THE BENEFITS OF CERTAIN THERAPEUTIC METHODS.
• DEVELOP PASSIVE DEVICES FOR MONITORING FUNCTION, SUCH AS MONITORING LONG-TERM
DRUG EFFECTS, EVALUATING PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE, ETC.
• MONITOR STAGES OF SLEEP,BIONICS/CYBERNETICS, MEMORY UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD, DREAM
CAPTURE ETC.
• BRAIN AS A COMPUTER
BCI Gaming
WIRELESS BCI SYSTEMS
ADVANTAGES OF BCI
EVENTUALLY, THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD:
• ALLOW PARALYZED PEOPLE TO CONTROL PROSTHETIC LIMBS WITH THEIR MIND.
• TRANSMIT VISUAL IMAGES TO THE MIND OF A BLIND PERSON, ALLOWING THEM
TO SEE.
• TRANSMIT AUDITORY DATA TO THE MIND OF A DEAF PERSON, ALLOWING THEM
TO HEAR.
• ALLOW GAMERS TO CONTROL VIDEO GAMES WITH THEIR MINDS.
• ALLOW A MUTE PERSON TO HAVE THEIR THOUGHTS DISPLAYED AND SPOKEN BY
A COMPUTER.
DISADVANTAGES OF BCI
• RESEARCH IS STILL IN BEGINNING STAGES.
• THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGY IS CRUDE.
• ETHICAL ISSUES MAY PREVENT ITS DEVELOPMENT.
• ELECTRODES OUTSIDE OF THE SKULL CAN DETECT VERY FEW ELECTRIC SIGNALS FROM THE
BRAIN.
• ELECTRODES PLACED INSIDE THE SKULL CREATE SCAR TISSUE IN THE BRAIN.
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