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BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE: FILLING THE GAPS TO BETTER LIVES
Ademusoyo Awosika-Olumo (ada35@pitt.edu)
INTRODUCTION: THE BRAIN AND
COMPUTER BECOME ONE
The ability to see, hear, think, and move involves
the transmission between neurons to allow us to process and
do simple everyday tasks. However, what if we couldn’t
think on our own? What if our neurons just stopped sending
signals and prevented us from doing simple tasks such as a
brushing our teeth or touching our toes? Brain Computer
Interface (BCI) creates a way for people with neurological
and sensorimotor disorders to communicate, move and
process using only their thoughts. The interdisciplinary
research between computer engineering, neuroscience,
mechanical engineering, and bioengineering provides an
opportunity for disabled people to live the lives they once
had before. As engineers it is our responsibility to improve
the health and well-being of the public and because of this
technology, people will be able to move prosthetic limbs and
express their desires almost like they did before. Doing
research on relevant topics in the world provides students
with a clear understanding of the relevance of the courses
that they are required to take as well as provide students
intrinsic motivation to do well in those courses.
Advancements in computer technology are now not only
being used as more idleness for the masses, but to better the
lives of people in unfortunate situations.
THE CONNECTION: BRAIN TO
COMPUTER
The Brain
The brain is the main part of the nervous system
and contains the neurons. Neurons communicate with axons
which send action potentials that connect the rest of the body
to the brain. Without this connection, we couldn’t do
anything. Our neurons signal our feet to walk, our hands to
touch, and our mouths to express how we feel. The neural
activity is also known as the electrical activity and can be
visualized, stored, and imitated through BCI technology. [1]
The Machine Resonance Image
A Machine Resonance Image (MRI) is used to
measure and provide images of specific brain activity. BCI
researchers use this device not necessarily for BCI but to
gain further specification and clarification of where the
electrodes need to be planted in order for the patient to
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perform the task at hand. For example if a researcher wants a
patient to be able to move his or her robotic arm, it may put
the patient through an MRI, ask the patient to think about
moving their arm, detect where that specific neural activity
comes from, and then plant the electrodes to the specific area
of the brain through the usage of a BCI device. [1]
The Electroencephalograph
The electroencephalograph (EEG) is the commonly
used device for BCI. It contains sets of electrodes that attach
to the scalp or directly onto the brain and measure the
reactions between the neurons. The signal that is received
through the electrodes gets processed through a computer
program to interpret the activity existing in the brain.
Reversely, the computer converts a visual signal into the
brain and triggers the necessary neurons to visualize what
the computer wants them to see or do. The EEG records the
activities the brain uses to perform a specific task and then
remodels it for the user’s brain to perform the task using that
device through the user’s thoughts. The usage of the EEG
has allowed users to control a robotic arm and allow people
to communicate their basic needs through emotion. The EEG
connects with the P300 and N2PC waves that are automatic
responses of the brain when reacting to specific stimuli. [1]
EEG is the external device that allows users to communicate
based solely on thought and what they visualize.
RESEARCH: PUTTING THOUGHTS INTO
REALITY
Although BCI is a fairly new field, it is making
rapid development. What started in the 1995 with only five
or six research groups has now grown to 40 or 50 all over
the country. Universities and technologically based
companies have collaborated and also discovered different
aspects of BCI and are working towards creating a safer and
less-invasive for people to use. [2] Looking at just two
different research projects in California, it is clear that
immense progress has been made to create pieces of
technology to better lives of the handicapped.
Monkey Mind Control
Jose M. Camera, an assistant professor at
University of California, Berkley, led a research experiment
that trained monkeys to locate a blue target with a joystick
computer cursor. [3] At first the monkeys struggled locating
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the target, but after a few days they become more and more
accurate. Later, they changed the target from blue to yellow
and the monkey’s transitioned their thought patterns to
locate the new target. Through this study they discovered
that the brain is capable of learning different tasks and can
switch between them using the same neurons. With the
results from the experiment, Camera deduced that once BCI
is safe enough for humans, users will be able to move there
prosthetic limbs just as well as they did their natural ones.
This technology will ease the transition from natural limbs to
prosthetic limbs for disabled individuals. [3]
signals do humans have the best control and how can they
connect those signals to BCI equipment to further maximize
the performance and efficiency of the equipment.
ETHICS: THE MORALITY BEHIND IT ALL
Bettering Health
As engineers it is our job to use our “knowledge,
abilities, and skills to enhance the safety, health and welfare
of the public.” [7] Through the implementation of BCI we
are bettering the lives of individuals who are have been
hindered by unfortunate circumstances. We are allowing
people to have an opportunity to live a more comfortable life
that would’ve been impossible years ago. If a patient is able
to move their prosthetic limb comfortably, the well-being of
that patient will be increased. If a patient has mild to severe
neurological or sensorimotor disorders, BCI technology will
facilitate an effective road to recovery and thus bettering
their health. BCI reaffirms that because of the ethical
practices of Bioengineering, it is our obligation to implement
this type of technology in order to improve health and
happiness of the public.
Ankle Movement
Through BCI research, researchers have discovered
that BCI technology can be used to maneuver lower
extremities. In a study at the University of California, Irvine,
5 subjects were attached to a BCI-FES integrated machine to
test the movement of the foot. [4] After locating the neurons
that controlled foot movement, researchers then immobilized
the foot and then asked the subjects to move their foot in 10
different foot patterns using just the BCI machine and they
did so accurately without any complications. Because of this
research, researchers concluded that this BCI technology can
eventually be used as a neuro-rehabilitation technique for
patients paralyzed from the waist down. [4]
Considering Every Aspect
A major reason why BCI hasn’t been officially
been taken out of the labs is because it’s simply not ready.
According to the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES)
Code of Ethics, it is important to consider the, “cost,
availability and delivery of health care.” [7] As discussed
previously, research still needs to be done to allow more
people to use this technology. BCI technology cannot be
released from the lab environment without the safety, cost,
and accuracy of the product being validated and controlled.
As research continues to advance, BCI teams will evaluate
these factors to make sure BCI is available for those that
need it. This confirms that further research needs to be done
in BCI in order to eventually improve health while still
being effective and accessible to other people.
RESEARCH: CLOSE BUT STILL FAR
Although research has shown great hope and
promise for BCI technology, there are still difficulties that
need to be worked on before the technology can be taken to
a patient’s home for permanent use. In order for get a higher
frequency of brain activity to be picked up by an EEG,
placing the electrodes directly to the gray matter of the brain
is the best method. While this may give the most accurate
results, the implantation of the electrodes require
neurosurgery which limit the options of configuring and
locating the best place for electrodes to be placed. Also, the
patient’s body may react negatively to the electrodes and
also further which will create difficulty picking up accurate
signals for the EEG. [5] Although non-invasive methods
such as placing the electrodes on the scalp are more
commonly and easily used, it results in a low collection of
frequency signals because of the barriers between the brain
and the scalp. [5] Research still needs to be done on how to
find a less-invasive but more accurate way of gather brain
signal to make BCI activity more accurate.
Another difficulty is pinpointing which brain
signals will provide the best accuracy for BCI technology.
[6] The brain is constantly changing and adjusting as people
experience and learn new things in everyday life. The brain
plays a major part in adjustment in our surroundings and as
it adjusts, BCI technology needs to adjust for better
connection between the BCI technology and the BCI user.
Further research needs to done to discover which brain
RESEARCH AND WRITING: IS IT REALLY
NECESSARY?
It’s important as an engineer to have more skills
than just being good at math and science in order to be more
competitive in their fields. Writing allows individuals to
think and express themselves in an analytical as opposed to
technical way. Through research and writing you gain an
insight as to what is going on in the world around you. At
times college students become more focused in what is
going on in their everyday lives and fail to understand why
what they are doing is applicable to their future, but with
research, students are able to conceptualize why what you
are doing is relevant.
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individual’s lives. As engineers we have the power to impact
many individuals through the creation of new technology
and ethically, as well as intellectually, we can make it
happen. As we gain knowledge through research, we are
able to understand more of what is going on in the world and
develop a stance into being the change that we want to see.
As BCI research develops and advances, paralyzed people
will be able to walk, amputees will be able to move their
prosthetics comfortably, and the neurologically disordered
will be able to express and communicate using their
thoughts. Millions of people’s lives will be completely
transformed by the usage of brain computer interface.
Writing also allows you to evaluate the progress of
your work as an engineer. [8] Through research and writing
you understand more about what you are doing on a topic
and allow yourself to evaluate and assess your journey as an
engineer to be. Through writing you are allowed to express,
discuss, and analyze yourself and the world around you in an
untraditional engineering way.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
A few years ago, my brother suffered through a
brain injury that resulted in him being placed in intensive
care for two weeks. Although he is fully recovered as if
nothing had happened to him before, I remember the worry
and doubt I felt as he was laying there and I didn’t know if
he would fully be okay. While I am fortunate to have my
brother back and fully recovered, I know other people aren’t
as fortunate. I want to give people that hope that 15 years
ago would have been impossible to receive. I want to design
technology that doesn’t just impact people’s first world
desires such as ‘faster,’ ‘better,’ or ‘easier’ but rather
provides people access to the simple things we often times
take for granted.
On a scholarly level, the inner workings of the
brain continue to fascinate and intrigue me. So much is still
undiscovered about our brain and I want to be a part of the
discovery. The way people think and talk both involve the
processes that go on in our brain and research still has not
pin pointed what exactly what it is that make people think
that way. Neuroscience on a technological as opposed to
conceptual side makes Brain Computer Interface interesting
and something I’m highly considering getting involved in
my future.
As a future engineer, I have my own vision as to
what I want to change in the world through technological
innovation. In order to be a part of the change that we want
to see, I could not do it without the proper and professional
teaching and training. [9] Knowing that I could not be a part
of improving BCI technology not because of my lack of
intelligence but simple ethics motivates me to continue and
strive to achieve my agree. I know that with my engineering
degree, I will have the tools and the knowledge to achieve
my own personal goal in engineering with nothing to stop
me. I view every class I take as an important stepping stone
to get where I want to be without anything hindering me.
REFERENCES
[1]
"How
Brain-computer
Interfaces
Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012.
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computerinterface1.htm>.
[2] Duncan, David E. "A Little Device That's Trying to Read
Your Thoughts." The New York Times 03 Apr. 2012: D.2.
Web.
[3] Blakeslee, Sandra. "Researchers Train Minds to Move
Matter." The New York Times 21 July 2009: D.6. Web.
[4] Do, An H., Po T. Wang, Christine E. King, Ahmad Abiri,
and Zoran Nenadic. "Brain Computer Interface Controlled
Functional Electrical Stimulation System for Ankle
Movement." Journal
of
NeuroEngineering
and
Rehabilitation 8.1 (2011): 49. Print.
[5] Edlinger,, Günter, Cristiano Rizzo, and Christoph Guger.
"Brain Computer Interface."Springer Handbook of Medical
Technology. N.p.: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, n.d. 1003015. Web.
[6] Wolpaw, Jonathan. "Brain-Computer Interface Research
Comes of Age: Traditional Assumptions Meet Emerging
Realities." Journal of Motor Behavior 42.6 (2010): 351-53.
Web.
[7] "BMES | Code of Ethics." BMES | Code of Ethics. N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
30
Oct.
2012.
<http://www.bmes.org/aws/BMES/pt/sp/ethics>.
[8] Gordon, Bernard M., and Michael B. Silevitch. "Reengineering Engineering Education." New England Journal
of Higher Education 24.1 (2009): 18-19. Web.
[9] "NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers." NSPE Code of
Ethics for Engineers. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html>.
CONCLUSION: SYNTHESIZING AND
MOVING FORWARD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BCI technology can impact the world in a way we
never thought possible. Having something to happen using
nothing but thoughts is no longer an idea in a science fiction
novel, but something that could actually be a reality. BCI
would be a major contribution to the engineering as well as
medical field in its success to bettering a mass amount of
I’d like to thank the University of Pittsburgh’s Library
system for providing me with resources via the internet. I’d
like to thank the Writing Department for allowing me to
research this topic and stirring a desire in me to do this type
of work in my future. I’d like to thank my engineering
friends and floormates for motivating me to finish this paper
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and for constantly reminding me during the struggling times
of the Freshman Engineering Program that I am not alone.
And lastly, I’d like to thank my family for always being my
support system even in Texas.
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