Brain interfaces are being used more and more to control such things as drone, prosthetics, and devices / robots. For example, prior those living life after an amputation would suffer loss of mobility or functionality and their time spends performing regular tasks would often increase – making life less comfortable. To aid with this, researchers have been working to improve myoelectric prosthetics and interfacing electronics with the nervous system and brain.
I offer a few examples of brain interfaces:
Brain to Brain
- A research team controlled the motion of a rat, guiding it through a maze using a wireless brain-to-brain interface.
- Scientists were able to get two rats to work together in obtaining a food reward, using a Brain to Brain Interface. Note that in the video, a rat presses a bar after an unseen rat sends him signals using electrodes in their brains.
- A research team investigated the feasibility of a non-invasive functional link between the brains of a human and a rat (brain to brain interface), with the intent for the human to move a rats tail.
- Scientists have connected the brains of lab rats, allowing one to communicate directly to another via cables.
- University of Washington researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team’s initial demonstration a year ago. In the newly published study, which involved six people, researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person’s brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a split second of sending that signal.
- Brain to brain interfaces can be used to control another’s physical actions.
- Another example of a non-invasive brain to brain communciations system.
Computer to Brain
- Pentagon’s DARPA researchers learn to control rat’s brain over Internet.
Brain to Computer
- An article suggesting that the use of BMI (Brain to Machine Interface) may be a valid and potentially useful approach to understanding the brain’s control of speech and language. BMIs for speech record and interpret brain waves from areas of the brain that control speech production and language comprehension.
- An article reviewing the use of implantable neural interface technologies and methods that will allow the wearer of a prosthesis to more naturally move the limb.
- A TED Talk on how Miguel Nicolelis, who built the brain-controlled exoskeleton that allowed a paralyzed man to kick the first ball of the 2014 World Cup, is working on a way to enable two minds to send brain to brain messages.
- Scientists have been able to build an automobile that is controlled by a driver wearing an EEG headset. Video is here.
- Controlling a computer using your thoughts!
- First human use of high-bandwidth wireless brain to computer interface. The system is capable of transmitting brain signals at single-neuron resolution and in full broadband fidelity without physically tethering the user to a decoding system.
- Unconscious patients can now “speak” with brain-computer interface technology.