We’ve all seen a movie or TV show where a character throws a fist at the air and to our amazement, the ground erupts, or an explosion occurs. Take Eleven from Stranger Things, she obliterated the Mind Flayer’s arms with her mind. We know it’s just special effects but over the past decade, scientists and engineers have been working on a technology which can execute the same idea, maybe not to that extent though! This futuristic technology is called brain computer interface (BCI).
BCIs allow us to link our brains to a computing device, in order to produce a desired output effect. Currently, one of the most popular applications of BCI is in medicine, particularly prosthetics. By using a BCI device, such as a brain chip, you can visualise undergoing a handshake in your mind and the prosthetic limb will carry it out with perfect precision. Another scenario is in the case of a spinal injury, where a chip is implanted in the brain along with a pulse generator in the lower spine. These would be connected wirelessly to a BCI software on a computer, allowing the brain signals to literally leap the damaged areas of the spine and operate the same as a healthy functioning nervous system. While not yet tested on humans, scientists have done this experiment in monkeys and it’s been proven successful. They helped a paralysed monkey gain its ability to walk again! This technology can be life-changing, especially for people suffering with severe medical conditions.
Generally, there are two types of BCI, invasive and non-invasive. Invasive BCI devices, as the name suggests, are inserted into the brain just as an implant would be, this is done through neurosurgery. An example of an invasive BCI is Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip. Through robotic surgery, the brain chip is inserted into the brain meaning it has direct contact with neurons. This allows them to receive the strongest signals due to being so close to the source.
Unlike the Neuralink brain chip, non-invasive BCIs don’t require surgery. They can be worn externally in the form of a helmet or a headband, not the idea of a huge fuse box attached to a hundred wires emerging from your head in all directions. While the signals picked up aren’t as strong as invasive BCIs because your skull subtly acts as a barrier, they can work alongside an electroencephalography (EEG) device. EEGs work by measuring brain signals and activity, this includes the frequency and rhythm of the brain. When these signals are received, they are recorded onto a BCI software then translated and amplified into a BCI effector device. BCI effector devices can vary from wheelchairs and robotic arms for medical purposes to toy helicopters and virtual reality (VR) for entertainment.
If today, we are able to select letters on a computer screen to send messages with our mind, control a curser in a video game with our mind and move a wheelchair with a specific code such as wink to turn left, again, with our mind, imagine what we can accomplish in ten years’ time! The field of BCI is still expanding. The possibilities are limitless. If we continue to develop at this rate, mind control will become run-of-the-mill.
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