Brain-Computer+Interface



Brain Computer Interface, BCI is often called Mind Machine Interface, MMI is a field which mainly focuses on neuroprosthetics applications that aim to restore damaged hearing, restore sight, movement improvement. This is possible because the cerebral cortex has extreme plasticity. Plasticity is the ability to repair and adapt new pathways of neurons (nerve cells) in the cortical layer of the brain The research in this area began in the 1970 at the University of California. "Human BCI allows a person to transfer thoughts and commands to a computer directly. Instead of using a keyboard, mouse or light pen or other input device a user of such an interface simply thinks his or her commands and the computer responses to them.Researchers have built devices that interface with the neural cells and the entire neural networks in cultures outside the brain in animals. In 1997 animal implantation devices has furthered experiments on cultured neuro tissue with the building of protein chains called (semi-conductors) neuro-chips in rats. The neuro-chip functions in the rats brain but this is a proto-type for further development of prosthesis. The site of the implantation was the hippocampus. The hippocampus is thought to be the origin of order and structure in the brain. This is the most studied part of the brain because it's function is to encode experiences for storage to become long-term memories else where in the brain. It is a translation center that receives input and changes that input in much the way a computer changes input of RAM into digital coding and then files them in it's long-term memory. This is computation at the cellular level.Thomas DeMarse at the University of Florida used a cultures of 25,000 neurons taken from a rat's brain to fly an F-22 fighter simulator. After the collection, the cortical neurons were cultured in a petri dish and rapidly began to reconnect themselves to form a neural living network. The cells were arranged over a grind of 60 electrodes and used to control the pitch and yaw functions of the simulator. (CNN.,4 November 2004) Does this sounds like science fiction? Cells are full of little motors and nature makes the best motors. Think of a cell with a flagellum (a whip like structure used for locomotion). When these are microscopically studied they are a series of gear like sections varying in size that work more efficiently then anything man has built to date. The way the brain functions is why BCI works. The brain is filled with neurons (brain cells). Each of these brain cells are connected to one another by nerves. Axons and dentrites with synapes that transport messages from cell to cell. "The latest work has related to hooking up an electroencephalography sensors(known as EEG sensors)that are connected to a computer on one end and the user's head on the other. The user wears a kind of cap with sensors on it designed to capture brain activity, and the interface measures the subject's brain responses and sends the information to a computer running a particular application such as a text input program."(Page: /group/discovery-channel/answer) As we are able to understand the brain more and with the aid of computers we are making science fiction a reality.

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URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5If0H2wyTI&list...21&index=1

Listen to the Guy Play a Piano with his Mind
====Presently researchers can use the brains electrical activity to activate EEG sensors that connect to a computer at one end and a user's head at the other. The cap is designed to pick up brain activity. The brain activity is then interfaced to the computer by measuring the subject's brain response as text response. In the case of the video musical notes from the subject's brain responses are entered into the computer as input and the piano plays music as the output. This is achieved by a "neuroheadset" that translates the brains signals into the computer commands then to a devise destination wirelessly. This process is known as Emotiv and is currently being used for the physically disabled.====

=Science Channel=

There have been some advances in brain-computer technology.

 * ====Neural Signals is developing a way for disabled people to speak. Implants in the speech areas of the brain would send signals to a computer a speaker [source: Science Channel].====
 * ====NASA has also researched speech technology but instead of reading brain signals it's sensors detect electrical impulses from nerves in the mouth and throat[source: [ New Scientist].====
 * ====Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems has developed a neural interface called "BrainGate" that gives control of wheelchairs, computer cursors or robotic prosthetics to disabled people [source:Cybernetics].====
 * ====Japaneses scientist have researched brain-computer interfaces that let control computer avatars [source: Arts Technical]====