What are Brain-Computer Relationships?
What are Brain-Computer Relationships?
Brain-computer interfaces are coming. Will we be ready for this? What will brain-computer interfaces mean for the future? In this article, we will address these issues. Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are slowly entering the mass market. In the next few years, we may be able to control the presentation of our PowerPoint or Excel files using just our brains. And businesses may want to operate BCI technology to monitor attention levels.
An Overview of Brain-Computer Relationships
Humans who control machines with their minds may look like something out of a science fiction movie, but they are becoming a reality through the brain-computer relationship. Understanding this emerging technology can ensure that effective policies before BCIs (brain-computer interfaces) become part of everyday life. Brain-computer interface techno
logy is currently being developed. RAND investigators are studying the probable risks and possibilities that BCI could pose.
Three drones take off and fill the air with their buzzing voices. They move slowly upwards as a fleet – at equal and even distances – and then float. On the ground, the pilot has no remote control. He has nothing in hand. He sits there calmly and controls the drones with his mind. This is not science fiction. This is a YouTube video from 2016.
A Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University (ASU) wears a strange headdress in one clip. It looks a bit like a swimming cap, but with nearly 130 colorful sensors that detect a student’s brain waves. These devices allow him to move drones simply by thinking directionally: up, down, left, right.
Today, this kind of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is still being generated in laboratories such as ASU, which has since been transferred to the University of Delaware. A variety of BCI technologies could be sold to consumers or deployed on the battlefield in the future.
The fleet of mind-controlled drones is just one true example of BCI, which was examined in a preliminary BCI assessment by RAND researchers.
They examined current and future developments in BCI and assessed the practical applications and potential risks of various technologies. Their study is part of the RAND 2040 Security Initiative, which looks to the future and explores new technologies and trends that shape the future of global security.
“This video of drones impressed me while I was researching,” said Anika Bindik, a political scientist at RAND and author of the report. Some of these technologies look like sci-fi stuff. “But it was very interesting to see what has really been achieved so far in a laboratory environment and then to think in a structured way about how to use it outside the laboratory.”
BCI developments in the not-too-distant future could be really important.
If today’s advances in brain-computer interface technology already seemed unbelievable, then it makes sense that BCI advances in the not-too-distant future could be truly incredible and significant. And that means we have to start thinking about them now.
How do BCIs work?
BCI technology allows the human brain and an external device to communicate and exchange signals. And it gives humans the ability to control machines directly without physical limitations.
Binnendijk and colleagues analyzed existing and potential BCI tools that differ in accuracy and aggressiveness, two closely related qualities. The closer the electrode is to the brain, the stronger the signal – like a cell tower in the brain.
Non-invasive devices often use sensors applied to or near the head to track and record brain activity, just like the helmet used by an ASU student. These devices can be easily inserted and removed, but their signals may be muffled and inaccurate.
Invasive BCI requires surgery. Electronic devices must be implanted directly under the skull in the brain to target specific sets of neurons. The BCI implants currently under development are very small and simultaneously involve up to one million neurons. For instance, an analysis team at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed implantable sensors, each about the size of a grain of sand. They call these sensors “nerve dust.”
Aggressive methods are likely to result in a much clearer and more accurate signal between the brain and the device. But like any other surgery, the implant procedures will have health risks.
A world of options
By creating the human ability to communicate directly with machines, BCI can affect all aspects of life. But Timothy Marler, senior research engineer at RAND, says it makes sense to start by studying an emerging technology like BCI through a pair of military glasses. Why? Because war is one of the most frustrating and complex scenarios imaginable.
“If I could use it in war, I could probably use it in times of natural disasters like tsunamis or earthquakes. “And to be honest, I can use it more to save lives.” “These are good things. But we do not necessarily support the use of these technologies. “We are testing their usability.”
Most BCI technologies are still in the early stages of development. They are being actively researched and funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Army Research Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and other organizations. With the power of the BCI tool, the military can potentially increase the physical and cognitive strength of its personnel.
BCI can also offer major medical benefits in the military and civilian world.
For example, amputated people can directly control complex artificial limbs. And implanted electrodes can improve people’s memory with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, or head injuries. Binnendijk recalls a young neighbor who now controls her movement using the joystick and hopes the technology will one day revolutionize her ability to move around the world.
Based on their analysis of the current development of the BCI and the types of tasks that future tactical military units may face, the RAND team has developed a toolkit that includes a list of how useful the BCI will be in the years to come. Some BCI applications may be available in a relatively short period (decades or more). But other applications, especially those that carry more complex data, may have much longer maturities. The team then tested the toolbox by bringing neuroscientists and operational warfare experience to play a national security game.
Research on tomorrow’s technology
Like any emerging technology, BCI carries many risks and unknowns. Before the BCI matures, developers need to plan and consider the ethical and policy issues surrounding complex and potentially frightening scenarios.
For example, advanced BCI technology can reduce pain or even regulate emotions. What happens when military personnel is sent to war with a reduced sense of fear? And when they return home, what psychological effects can veterans, without “superhuman” characteristics, experience? Now maybe a good time to think about these scenarios and make sure there are protective fences in place.
“There may be a sharp reaction to emerging technologies, such as destroying jobs or aiding militarization,” says Marler. But BCI is not much different from a car. It can be dangerous, but it can also be very helpful.
I wish we had these discussions about artificial intelligence and robotics 20 years ago because, in many ways, people are now reacting. People are afraid of what they do not understand. We all need to understand BCI to ensure we are not reckless about it.
As BCI developers prepare, opportunities must be carefully weighed against risks.
There are countless ethical questions and concerns about using BCI technology in the workplace. This technology is far ahead of the policies and regulations that must be implemented. However, it is time for business leaders to start building a BCI strategy as soon as possible to address its potential risks and benefits.
Imagine seeing if your manager paid attention to you during your last zoom session. Or, suppose if you could design your next presentation by using your thoughts. These scenarios may soon become a reality thanks to the development of the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).
Simply put, think of the BCI as a bridge between the brain and an external device. As it stands today, we rely more on electroencephalography (EEG) – a set of methods to monitor the brain’s electrical activity – to do this. But that is changing. It is now possible to analyze brain signals and extract related brain patterns using several complex sensors and algorithms. Brain activity can then be recorded with a non-invasive device – without the need for surgery. Most existing BCIs are non-invasive and are like wearable headphones and headphones.
The development of BCI technology was initially focused on helping people with paralysis control assistive devices using their thoughts.
But new uses are always being identified. For example, BCI can now be used as a neurofeedback training tool to improve cognitive function. We expect to see an increasing number of professionals using BCI tools to enhance their performance in the workplace. For example, your BCI can detect that your level of attention is too low compared to the importance of a particular meeting or task and trigger an alert. It can also adjust the brightness of your office according to your stress level or prevent you from using your company car if you are diagnosed with drowsiness.
A Toronto-based startup called Muse has developed a sensor headband that gives you instant information about what’s going on in your brain. As you can imagine, the startup now has a “corporate health plan” to “help its employees reduce stress, increase flexibility and improve their engagement.” Other headbands also use dedicated sensors to detect brain signals and use machine learning algorithms to provide insights into user/worker interaction levels. They can track whether a person is focused or distracted. Theoretically, this can help people with their day-to-day tasks by assessing which studies should be done based on your attention level. However, there is also a lot of potential for abuse.
We also expect more professional events to use BCIs shortly. Research has shown that brain data can help predict people’s booths and activities. Do we need BCI in the future to attend business events?
Beyond brain signal analysis, some companies are currently working on solutions that can modulate your brain activity. Researchers at Columbia University have shown how neurofeedback using EEG-based BCIs can influence subjects’ consciousness and improve performance in a cognitive task.
Despite these promising results, some experts, such as Theodore Zanto, director of the UCSF Neuroscience Program, say that while BCIs based on EEG scans can determine a user’s level of attention, they are still unable to distinguish what the user is focused on. . “I have not seen any data that show that you can tell if someone is paying attention to their teacher or their phone, or just paying attention to their inner thoughts and fantasizing,” he said in a January 2019 article in Medium. In addition, I have found that BCIs are also influenced by specific user characteristics, such as gender, age, and lifestyle.
Conclusion
Another use of BCIs in the workplace relates to how we interact with machines and devices. I predict that the “most dangerous” jobs will need to use BCI in the future. For example, some BCI companies have already used EEGs to analyze sleepy driving signals. Companies that have workers working with hazardous machines may ask their workers to be monitored in the same way. We believe that pilots and surgeons will be forced to use BCI while working one day.
Source:https://rasekhoon.net/article/show/1595354/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B2-%D9%88-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1
