Brain-Computer Interfaces: So What's On Your Mind?

To be truthful, I don't know if I'm ready for "brain-computer interfaces" since at times I'm barely capable of coping with command-line interfaces. But with or without me, brain-computer interfaces seem to be moving ahead.

Just so we're on the same page... a brain-computer interface establishes communication pathways between your brain and external devices. For the most part, brain-computer interfaces are being developed as a means of helping people who have central nervous system disabilities, including disabilities in movement and communication.

But (gulp!) this often involves inserting electrodes into (or sometimes onto) your head to detect and measure neurons firing in your brain. It also involves a lot of terminology that you have to become familiar with -- words like "electroencephalography," "electrocorticography," and "bioticabiotic," as well as the more familiar "data analysis and modeling," "signal processing," "functional electrical stimulation," and the like.

According to the World Technology Evaluation Center which tracks this sort of stuff, brain-computer interface research:

• Is rapidly growing in the areas of biomedical engineering, neuroscience, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, materials science and nanotechnology, and neurology and neurosurgery.
• Will shortly influence the medical device industry, and rapidly accelerate in non-medical arenas of commerce as well, particularly in the gaming, automotive, and robotics industries.
• Is rapidly accelerating in China thanks to advanced algorithm development in electroencephalography-based systems.
• Is more tightly tied to industry in Europe and Japan compared to research in the U.S.

If you want to find out more about the state of brain-computer interface research, a good place to start is the recently released 234-page report entitled International Assessment of Research and Development in Brain-Computer Interfaces.

-- Jonathan Erickson
jerickson@ddj.com

Posted by Jon Erickson at 06:44 PM  Permalink