m




 m


m




  
 
 Research on BCIs began in the 1970s at the University of
California Los Angeles (UCLA) under a grant from the National
Science Foundation, followed by a contract from DARPA.
 the first specimens are:

rodents monkeys
Ô
  
  
 sometimes called a ¦

  

 or a 
   



 an Electroencephalogram based Brain-Computer-Interface
(BCI) provides a new communication channel between the
human brain and a computer
 often aimed at assisting, augmenting or repairing human
cognitive or sensory-motor functions
 reads electrical signals or other manifestations of brain
activity and translate them into a digital form that computers
can understand, process, and convert into actions of some
kind, such as moving a cursor or turning on a TV.
Ô   Ô

The reason a BCI works at all is
because of the way our brains
function. Our brains are filled
with 
, individual nerve cells
connected to one another by
dendrites and axons. Every time we
think, move, feel or remember
something, our neurons are at
work. That work is carried out by
small electric signals that zip from
neuron to neuron as fast as 250
mph The signals are generated by
differences in electric potential
carried by ions on the membrane
of each neuron.
 
  

 The implant device, or
chronic multi-electrode array

 The signal recording and

processing section

 An external device the

subject uses to produce
& control motion

 A feedback section to the

subject
   
Conduct electricity
Biocompatible material( Teflon)
Placed on the scalp
Chemically inert
Provide the electrical contact
between the skin and the EEG
recording apparatus
AN ARRAY OF MICROELECTRODES

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE NEUROTROPHIC ELECTRODES FOR IMPLANTATION IN HUMAN PATIENTS


 


 
 Multichannel Acquisition Systems
 Spike Detection

  
  


   

 Õ

techniques, which implant electrodes

directly onto a patientǯs brain.

 | 

techniques, in which medical

scanning devices or sensors mounted on caps or
headbands read brain signals.
 
 
ë
 


Electroencephalography
(EEG) is a method used in Delta 0.5-4
measuring the electrical Theta 4-8
activity of the brain. Alpha 8-13
Beta 13-22
The alpha rhythm is one of
Gamma 22-30
the principal components
of the EEG and is an
indicator of the state of
alertness of the brain.

The basic frequency of the

EEG range is classified
into five bands for
purposes of EEG analysis
called brain rhythms .
    
 One of the biggest challenges facing
brain-computer interface researchers
today is the basic mechanics of the
interface itself. The easiest and least
invasive method is a set of electrodes Ȃ
a device known as an
 
 
 (EEG) Ȃ
attached to the scalp.

 The electrodes can read brain signals.

However, the skull blocks a lot of the
electrical signal, and it distorts what does
get through. To get a higher-resolution
signal, scientists can implant electrodes
directly into the gray matter of the
brain itself, or on the surface of the brain,
beneath the skull.
    

 Ôith the use of EEG it allows for much more direct

reception of electric signals and allows electrode placement
in the specific area of the brain where the appropriate
signals are generated. This approach has many problems,
however. It requires invasive surgery to implant the
electrodes, and devices left in the brain long-term tend to
cause the formation of scar tissue in the gray matter. This
scar tissue ultimately blocks signals.
  
Early Ôorks
 Algorithms to reconstruct movements from motor
cortex neurons, which control movement were
developed in 1970s.
The first Intra-Cortical Brain-Computer Interface
was built by implanting neurotrophiccone
electrodes into monkeys.
 After conducting initial studies in rats during the
1990s, researchers developed Brain Computer
Interfaces that decoded brain activity in monkeys
and used the devices to reproduce monkey
movements in robotic arms.
    

 One of the most exciting areas

of BCI research is the
development of devices that
can be controlled by thoughts.
Some of the applications of this
technology may seem frivolous,
such as the ability to control
a video game by thought. If you
think a remote control is
convenient, imagine changing
channels with your mind.
    

 However, there's a bigger picture -- devices that would

allow severely disabled people to function independently.
For a quadriplegic, something as basic as controlling
a computer cursor via mental commands would represent a
revolutionary improvement in quality of life. But how do we
turn those tiny voltage measurements into the movement
of a robotic arm?
  
The most Popular person
who is living with the use
of Brain-Computer
Interface is §
 .

Even though he is
paralyzed, he still known to
be the smartest living man
in the world. And the only
way he can speak is
through BCI.


 
 The most common and oldest way to use a BCI is a  

 . For the average person, sound waves enter
the ear and pass through several tiny organs that eventually
pass the vibrations on to the auditory nerves in the form
of electric signals. If the mechanism of the ear is severely
damaged, that person will be unable to hear anything.
However, the auditory nerves may be functioning perfectly
well. They just aren't receiving any signals.
 A cochlear implant bypasses the non-functioning part of
the ear, processes the sound waves into electric signals and
passes them via electrodes right to the auditory nerves. The
result: A previously deaf person can now hear. He might not
hear perfectly, but it allows him to understand
conversations.


 

 The processing of visual information by the brain is much

more complex than that of audio information, so artificial
eye development isn't as advanced. Still, the principle is the
same. Electrodes are implanted in or near the visual cortex,
the area of the brain that processes visual information from
the retinas. A pair of glasses holding small cameras is
connected to a computer and, in turn, to the implants. After
a training period similar to the one used for remote
thought-controlled movement, the subject can see. Again,
the vision isn't perfect, but refinements in technology have
improved it tremendously since it was first attempted in
the 1970s.
 

If we can send sensory signals to someone's brain, does

that mean thought control is a something we need to worry
about? Probably not. Sending a relatively simple sensory
signal is difficult enough. The signals necessary to cause
someone to take a certain action involuntarily is far beyond
current technology. Besides, erstwhile thought-controllers
would need to kidnap you and implant electrodes in an
extensive surgical procedure, something you'd likely notice.
  Ô 


1. The brain is incredibly
complex. To say that all
thoughts or actions are the
result of simple electric signals
in the brain is a gross
understatement. There are
about 100 billion neurons in a
human brain
[source: Greenfield]. Each
neuron is constantly sending
and receiving signals through a
complex web of connections.
m



§
There are chemical processes ë 

m
m 
involved as well, which EEGs m
 m
 


can't pick up on.

  Ô 


2. The signal is weak and prone to interference. EEGs measure
tiny voltage potentials. Something as simple as the blinking
eyelids of the subject can generate much stronger signals.
Refinements in EEGs and implants will probably overcome this
problem to some extent in the future, but for now, reading brain
signals is like listening to a bad phone connection. There's lots of
static.
3. The equipment is less than portable. It's far better than it used
to be -- early systems were hardwired to massive
mainframe computers. But some BCIs still require a wired
connection to the equipment, and those that are wireless
require the subject to carry a computer that can weigh around
10 pounds. Like all technology, this will surely become lighter
and more wireless in the future.
   

Ô
     

 are a man-made machines that have the same cognitive

ability as human beings.

 This line of research is known as Neuromorphic

engineering.

 Professor Steve Furber from Manchester, UK building a

project called Spinnaker- hardware based around Arm chips
that simulates in hardware biological spiking neurons. Each
processor runs about 1,000 neuron models. Current system
has 8 processors, system with 16 coming soon.
  
 
  
1. An ongoing attempt by neuroscientists
to understand how the human brain works.
2. A thought experiment in the philosophy of artificial
intelligence, demonstrating that it is possible, in theory,
to create a machine that has all the capabilities of a
human being.
3. A serious long term project to create machines capable of
general intelligent action or Artificial General Intelligence.
This idea has been popularized by Ray Kurzweil as strong
AI (taken to mean a machine as intelligent as a human
being).


 An example of the first objective is the project reported by
Aston University in Birmingham, England where researchers
are using biological cells to create "neurospheres" (small
clusters of neurons) in order to develop new treatments for
diseases including Alzheimerǯs, Motor Neurone and
Parkinsonǯs Disease.

 The second objective is exemplified by the Turing machine

and more recently in Hilary Putnam's machine state
functionalism
 The third objective is generally called artificial general
intelligence by researchers. However Kurzweil prefers the
more memorable term Strong AI. In his book "The
Singularity is Near " he focuses on whole brain
emulation using conventional computing machines as an
approach to implementing artificial brains, and claims (on
grounds of computer power continuing an exponential
growth trend) that this could be done by 2025