Even more than 100 years ago, scientists were interested in the capabilities of the brain and tried to understand whether it was possible to somehow influence it. In 1875, the English doctor Richard Cato was able to register a weak electric field on the surface of the brain of rabbits and monkeys. Then there were many discoveries and studies, but only in 1950, Yale University physiology professor Jose Manuel Rodriguez Delgado invented the Stimosiver device, which could be implanted in the brain and controlled by radio signals.
Trainings were conducted on monkeys and cats. So, stimulation of a certain area of the brain through an implanted electrode made the cat raise its hind leg. According to Delgado, the animal did not show any signs of discomfort during such experiments.
And 13 years later, the scientist spent - implanted stimoseavers in the brain of a bull and controlled it through a portable transmitter.
Thus began the era of neural interfaces and technologies that can increase the biological capabilities of a person. Already in 1972, a cochlear implant went on sale, which converted sound into an electrical signal, transmitted it to the brain and actually allowed people with severe hearing impairments to hear. And in 1973, the term "brain-computer interface" was officially used for the first time - a computer neural interface. In 1998, scientist Philip Kennedy implanted the first neural interface into a patient, musician Johnny Ray. After a stroke, Johnny lost the ability to move. But thanks to implantation, he learned to move the cursor, only imagining the movement of his hands.
Following the scientists, the idea of creating a neural interface was picked up by large business corporations and startups. The intention to develop a system that will help control objects with the power of thought has already been announced by Facebook and Elon Musk. Some pin their hopes on neural interfaces - the technology will allow people with disabilities to restore lost functions, improve the rehabilitation of a person who has had a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Others are skeptical of such developments, believing that their use is fraught with legal and ethical problems.
Be that as it may, there are a sufficient number of large players on the market. If you believe , some developments have already been discontinued, but the rest are quite popular and affordable.
What is a neural interface and how can it be useful?
Types of Brain Waves
A neural interface is a system for exchanging information between the human brain and an electronic device. This is a technology that allows a person to interact with the outside world based on the registration of the electrical activity of the brain - an electroencephalogram (EEG). The desire of a person to perform some action is displayed in EEG changes, which in turn decodes the computer.
Neurointerfaces are unidirectional and bidirectional. The former either receive signals from the brain or send them to it. The latter can send and receive signals simultaneously.
There are several methods for measuring brain signals. They are divided into three types.
- non-invasive. Sensors are placed on the head to measure electrical potentials generated by the brain (EEG) and magnetic field (MEG).
- Semi-invasive. Electrodes are placed on the exposed surface of the brain.
- Invasive. Microelectrodes are placed directly into the cerebral cortex, measuring the activity of a single neuron.
The key feature of the neural interface is that it allows you to connect directly to the brain. What can this give in practice? Neurointerfaces, for example, can make life easier or radically change the lives of paralyzed people. Someone cannot write, move or talk. But at the same time, their brains are quite working. The neural interface will allow these people to perform certain actions by reading intentions using electrodes connected to the brain.
Another option for using the neural interface was invented by American scientists who developed a cyber-prosthesis that can improve human memory by 30%. The device generates nerve impulses that help the patient form new memories, remember the faces of relatives. It is expected that the development will help fight senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other memory problems.
In addition to health, neural interfaces can be used for personal development of a person, for work and entertainment, as well as for interacting with others. So, what interesting things can neurotechnology offer in these areas?
Self improvement
Perhaps the most popular area of application of neural interfaces and various applications is the development of any human abilities. Various trainings, systems for developing mental abilities, systems for changing behavior, systems for preventing stress, ADHD, systems for working with psycho-emotional states and so on are devoted to this. This kind of activity even has its own term, “Brain Fitness”.
What is the essence of the idea? As a result of numerous studies, some proven ideas have been formed about how this or that activity of the brain corresponds to the states of human consciousness. Algorithms for determining the level of mindfulness, concentration and meditation, mental relaxation have appeared. Add to this the ability to read EEG and electromyography (EMG), and as a result, we get an idea of the state of a person at the moment.
And when you need to learn how to evoke a specific psycho-emotional state, a person trains himself using a device to which a neural interface is connected. There are a huge number of EEG visualization programs and psycho-emotional states, we will not describe them all. Training to call the necessary state of consciousness in a person is performed using EEG biofeedback technology (electroencephalography-based biofeedback).
What it looks like in practice: Parents want to improve their child's academic performance and defeat ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). To do this, use a special program (for example, from ), choosing presets in it for training the necessary states: mindfulness, concentration, relaxation, meditation, prevention of hyperconcentration. Select a concentration level training program. And they launch it.
The program offers the child a workout in which you need to keep the Alpha and Beta waves above a certain level. Waves should not fall below a certain level. At the same time, the video material selected by the parents is played in the program window. Like your favorite cartoon. The child just watches the cartoon, monitors the levels of Alpha and Beta waves and does nothing else. Then BOS comes into play. The task of the child is to maintain Alpha and Beta levels throughout the training.
If one of the levels falls below the required value, the cartoon is interrupted. In the first lessons, the child will try to meaningfully return to the desired state in order to watch the cartoon. But after some time, the brain will learn to return to this state on its own when it falls out of it (provided that the cartoon is interesting to the child, and the viewing state is “comfortable” for the brain). As a result, the child develops the ability to induce the required state of concentration, as well as the ability to maintain concentration at a certain level.
It looks scary, but do not rush to get scared and call the guardianship authorities. There are also simpler solutions based on games. For example, from NeuroSky. The player's task is to make the ant push the object towards him in the anthill. But in order for the ant to move without stopping, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of concentration above a certain mark on the corresponding scale.
When you concentrate on the process, the ant pushes the object. As soon as the level of concentration drops, the ant stops and you lose time, worsening your result. With each level, the game becomes more difficult, as the required level of concentration increases. There are also additional distractions.
As a result of regular training, the user develops the ability to maintain a level of concentration and attention on the task being performed, regardless of external or internal distractions. Everything here is like in sports, it is impossible to get an athletic body by going to the fitness center a couple of times or eating a can of proteins. Studies in the field of biofeedback EEG have shown that the result of this kind of training appears only after 20 days of regular sessions of 20 minutes each.
Entertainment
Neuroheadsets also provide an opportunity to have fun. But all games and entertainment applications are simultaneously tools for self-development. When playing games through the neural interface, you use the conscious states of your consciousness to control the characters. And thus learn to control them.
A lot of noise at one time was done by the multiplayer game Throw Trucks With Your Mind. The character is controlled according to the standard scheme of a first-person shooter, but you can only fight other players with the help of mental efforts. To do this, the player's concentration and meditation parameters are displayed on the game monitor.
To throw a box, truck or any other object from the game environment at the enemy, you must lift it into the air with your mental power, and then throw it at the enemy. You, too, can “fly in,” so the one who uses the ability to concentrate and meditate more effectively wins the skirmish. It was very exciting to fight with the power of the mind against real opponents. Of the more recent games, we can mention by MyndPlay.
Manufacturers also offer more relaxed options for games. For example, several popular gaming applications at once. Also worth mentioning is MyndPlay. . It is simple: you need to make three shots from the bow and score the maximum number of points. For each shot you can get up to 10 points. Using visuals, the game immerses you in its environment, after which your character can begin to aim at the target. The concentration level indicator appears in the player window. The higher the concentration, the closer to ten the arrow will hit. The second shot requires entering a state of meditation to hit. The third shot will again require concentration. This is how the game clearly demonstrates the interesting capabilities of neural interfaces.
In addition to games, there are also interactive neurofilms. Imagine: you sat on the couch, put on a headset and turned on an interactive movie about skaters. At some stage, there is a moment when the skater accelerates and is about to jump. At this point, you must become a skater yourself in order to concentrate on the jump and keep the level of concentration of consciousness until the character finishes the jump. With sufficient concentration (commensurate with real life and the level that would be needed in reality), the skater in the film will successfully jump and the plot will continue to the next interactive fork. If the concentration was so-so, then the skater will fall, and the film will follow a different storyline.
Already filmed in the same way in the style of Guy Ritchie, as well as a number of other films. In fact, the plot and ending of the film directly depends on your efforts. And it looks very interesting.
Simple and branched logic of plot development
Application at work
In addition to training and entertainment programs, developers have created a large number of applications designed for professional use. An example is the MindRec program, which was created for medical, sports, ordinary psychologists and psychologists working with representatives of law enforcement agencies.
How is it used? A person puts on a neuroheadset, the psychologist launches the program and starts the session. During the session, the following information is monitored and recorded in the computer memory, namely: concentration level, attentiveness, meditation level, raw EEG signal, in several types of visualization at the same time, in the range from 0 to 70 Hz. Signals divided into frequency ranges that make up the spectrum of the main signal. The breakdown is made into 8 ranges: Delta, Theta, Low Alpha, High Alpha, Low Beta, High Beta, Low Gamma, High Gamma. If necessary, an audio and video recording of the actions of the psychologist's patient is performed.
The recorded material can be reviewed, seeing everything that was displayed in real time during the session. If the psychologist did not notice something right away, then when re-studying the session or training, he can study changes in the wave reactions of the brain, compare them with audiovisual information. This is a very valuable tool for any specialist in this field.
Another option is neuromarketing. The neuroheadset allows you to conduct marketing research, as it shows a person's emotional response to certain marketing stimuli. This is much more effective, because in surveys and questionnaires, people are far from always honest in their answers. And neuroscience will help to see the real answer, honest and impartial. By assembling a focus group and testing using a neuroheadset, you can get results that are as close to reality as possible.
Interaction with external devices
Another interesting area of work with neuroheadsets is the remote control of external devices. Very popular among children, for example, racing games that allow competition between two, three and four participants. Here is a well-known example of such games:
Want to indulge in something else? Please, here are other developments that have also become popular.
Puzzlebox Orbit Helicopter
A toy helicopter that is controlled by the power of thought. The standard version allows you to control the altitude of the helicopter, but there are many extras that turn this toy into a powerful brain fitness machine. Review .
Zen Lamp
The lamp reflects your psycho-emotional state in the form of a glow of a certain color. Ideal for developing meditation skills.
Force Trainer II
The funniest little thing. Creates a holographic image of the game environment and objects inside a transparent pyramid. And the player, using the commands of the brain, controls these objects.
Necomimi
Be-be-bear cat ears have become a hit all over the world. The device is completely self-sufficient and does not require connection to a computer or smartphone. The user puts on the ears, turns them on and gets the opportunity to demonstrate his mood (psycho-emotional state) by moving these ears. By the way, a similar product, , did not become popular even at home, in Japan. Where in this case the headset was inserted, you can think for yourself.
Neuroheadset - entertainment or a useful tool?
While reading the article, it may seem that neural interfaces and headsets are mainly intended to entertain a person or amuse his FSM. However, this is absolutely not the case. A neuroheadset, coupled with the appropriate software, may well help to develop a limb after a severe injury, and reduce the negative consequences of severe injuries. Therefore, scientists are actively using neurotechnologies to help people.
For example, in 2016, American scientists from Johns Hopkins University created a neural interface that helps control individual fingers of a biomechanical prosthesis. And a year later, their Austrian colleagues from the University of Graz developed a system for writing music using the power of thought. It is designed for musically gifted people with disabilities.
Specialists from the University of California using the neural interface, neuromuscular stimulation and suspension paralyzed from the waist down. And Brazilian researchers, together with colleagues from the United States, Switzerland and Germany, were able to partially in patients using the neural interface, virtual reality and exoskeleton. Developments are also underway to interact with patients with the “locked-in person” syndrome. The technology will help identify such patients, communicate with them, and restore control over the body.
Facebook has begun work on a non-invasive neural interface that will help users type text without a keyboard. Nissan has developed a brain-machine interface to read thoughts while driving to improve reaction times. And Elon Musk even wants to connect the brain with a computer in order to avoid the capture of the world by artificial intelligence.
Russian companies cannot yet boast of a large number of achievements in the field of neurotechnologies. However, Rostec recently presented a pre-production sample of a device that will help exchange information between the brain and an external device. The helmet was developed by the Institute of Electronic Control Machines (INEUM) named after. I. S. Brook. It is assumed that the neural interface will allow you to control electronic and electromechanical devices: prostheses, vehicles.
What awaits the neural interface market
According to , the global market for computer interfaces will reach $2022 billion by 1,72. Now the main field of application of neural interfaces is medicine, but entertainment areas are actively developing, as well as the military and industrial spheres. A neural headset for controlling a combat robot is no longer just a sweet fantasy of high-browed people in uniform, but a completely solvable task.
Due to the fact that neuroheadsets offer an open environment that can be used to create your own software, private neuroprogramming is also developing. For example, one of the market leaders, NeuroSky, is available to developers absolutely free. And as a result, there are more and more applications that use the capabilities of this platform.
It should be noted that the initiative for the widespread introduction of neural interfaces and chips for the brain is facing not only support, but also criticism. On the one hand, neural interfaces can improve the treatment of traumatic brain injury, paralysis, epilepsy or schizophrenia. On the other hand, such technologies can exacerbate social inequality.
There are concerns that there is no legal or ethical basis for the introduction of electrodes into a healthy person. In addition, the neural interface can make the human brain an object that governments, advertisers, hackers, reptilians and other personalities will want to penetrate, which a normal person is unlikely to be happy with. And in general, the neural interface and headsets can change the characteristics of a person, affect his psyche and activity as an individual, distort the understanding of people as physiological beings.
In general, it is clear that neurotechnologies will continue to develop. But when they will become truly accessible and even more effective, it is impossible to predict.
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Source: habr.com