A Presentation on

BRAIN COMPUTER
INTERFACING BY- PRUTHVI. 06751A0550

 Started in 1970s Simple systems Mainly for Pilots to control their planes Project failed but the field of BCI emerged Since 1980s research in this field has been restricted to medicine

The process of receiving signals from the thoughts of a person through different methods is known as 'COGNITIVE ENGINEERING'.

Two basic methods Invasive and Non Invasive

 In this method an electrode called the neurotrophic electrode is implanted in the brain through a brain surgery

It is implanted in the cerebral cortex just above the ear

The implant consists of a thin glass cone of the size of a ball point tip

 This cone consists of a gold wire surrounded by nerve tissue extracted from the users leg The nerve tissue stimulates the surrounding neurons to fuse with the wire over a period of time The neurons which are in contact with the cone send the brain signals to a tiny receiver near the skull.The signal is amplified and sent to the computer

 This method doesnt require a brain implant The user wears a cap studded with electrodes

These electrodes help in transmitting the signals

 Scientists believe that this method is not so effective because the electrodes on the scalp cannot absorb the signals properly because of the thick skull
A computer program translates electrical signals in the brain to physical outputs, which govern the movement of a computer cursor.

But now the New York state department of health has developed a more effective system which has new skills to record the electrical activity

With this development there has emerged a debate on which method to be used?

 Some people support the non invasive method because it doesnt require a surgery to be done Some people believe that invasive method is more effective because of the brain implant But scientists seem to agree that both invasive and non-invasive means of acquiring brain signals should continue to be developed, because both have potential benefits for different applications

 The system which is used to understand the received signals and translate them to the computer is known as Brain-Computer Interface

This system allows a person to communicate through the electrophysiological signals from his brain

 This system consists of four interacting processes Signal acquisition and storage Signal processing and translation Device control Operating protocol Each process is independently executable in a Windows NT/2000/XP environment

SIGNAL ACQUISITION AND STORAGE

This system detects the signals received and transforms them into control signals which can be used to control the computer. The system also has a facility in which when a user uses for more than once the system recognizes the user basing on his past performance.

SIGNAL PROCESSING AND TRANSLATION

Many times the signals are so similar to each other that it is difficult to differentiate which is meant for what. Guessing the right signal and translating it to the computer is done with appropriate software.
DEVICE CONTROL

Dealing with all the devices and checking them if they are working properly is also done by the BCI.

OPERATION PROTOCOL

The operation protocol defines the rules and procedures to be followed while transmitting and receiving data.

 A company called Cyberkinetics has produced a pill sized brain chip called the Braingate which is more effective than the neurotrophic electrode. The braingate consists of 100 electrodes. Each electrode taps into a neuron. The brain gate has allowed a person to control the computer,television even while doing some other job simultaneously. The person could even send an e-mail with the braingate.

 The future is going to be very bright for the physically challenged. With the help of this latest technology, the disabled and the handicapped people will be able to use computers by their thoughts.

 Not only this but a handicapped person who has lost his hands can be gifted with robotic arms which he can control by his thought! This technology is also extremely useful in the field of aeronautics and surgery. Doctors and pilots will be able to control computers by thoughts reducing their workload and making it more comfortable to perform surgeries or to fly planes at the time of wars.

 Web sources www.geek.com www.siltronics.net/bci.htm http://bci.ucsd.edu

Magazines I.T (August 2004 Issue)

THANK YOU
PRUTHVI JAYASIMHA NAIDU.k