Observations from the Professionals at MobileREMEDIES®
Introduction
We have learned to interact with our computers by manipulating various devices through the years including the keyboard, the mouse and trackball, the stylus and graphics tablet and more recently the touchscreen, using only the tip of our finger. We now have our computers identify us by our fingerprints, detect our heart rates and even sense how far we have walked or how many steps we have climbed. We call this the Human-Computer Interface or HCI. We continue to be more and more creative and sophisticated in how we interact with our computers and there appears to be no end in sight as we begin using signals from our own bodies as a direct link.
What if we could communicate directly with our computers without using a physical gesture of any kind: control our computers with our thoughts? That’s just science fiction, right? Not so fast! The professionals at Laptop Repair Hawaii: MobileREMEDIES® present some interesting facts about a sub-group of HCI known as the Brain-Computer Interface or BCI that is doing just that! This article gives us a brief look at this fascinating field of study. In Part 1 we will discuss some of the basic elements of any computer interface and look at the historical development of BCI. In Part 2 we will look at some of the feats already being achieved by BCI in the current state of the art and look ahead to some projections for the future.
In order to understand BCI we need to review some basic principles. To communicate with our computers we use some aspect of our behavior to modify a measurable “variable” that the computer can then use as an indication of our intention in a well-defined context. Pressing a particular key or set of keys on the keyboard is a direct and simple example. Since the computer has the potential to analyze and process its own input signals however, we can also use much more sophisticated and creative ways to indicate our choices. We can look at this as a progression by way of several examples.
Two-dimensional motions of a mouse or trackball can be translated into the motion of a cursor on a computer screen and we can indicate our choice by “clicking” it when it reaches the desired virtual location. “Dragging” the cursor with the mouse can allow us to select a specific 2-dimensional area of the screen, which in turn requires additional processing of the “input” data. Using the conductive properties of our skin to open a menu or select an option directly on a touchscreen brings us one step closer by making the screen its own input device, bypassing the keyboard and mouse but again adding even more sophistication to the processing required. Having the computer sense the motion and direction of our eyes and use it to determine the exact spot on the screen that is the focus of our gaze and to open the corresponding menu is an example of the next step. Any parameter that can be sensed and manipulated can be used in this interaction.
In order to complete the “interface” there must be a way for us to verify that our intervention has had its desired effect. Most often this is accomplished by some change in the image on the computer screen but this should also be thought of as a progression of possibilities. The response we perceive may be more creative such as a sound we can hear, a slight vibration on our wrist under our “smartwatch” or the visible motions of an external device such as a prosthetic limb. This response is known as “feedback” and can involve any stimulus or parameter that we can perceive. The relationship is called a “feedback loop” and it is at the core of how we as organisms learn to manipulate our environment. Even neurons cultured in a dish can “learn” using a feedback loop. These same interactions in the physical world allow us to create and use tools. The potentially limitless capacity of our computers to process data makes them unique among our tools and allows us the immense freedom to
create almost any interface that we can imagine (if you would like to read more about the unique status of our computers as tools see: “The Changing Roles of our Desktops, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones–Part 3, also from Laptop Repair Hawaii: MobileREMEDIES®).
This “evolutionary” process, building progressively more complex input and output algorithms, opens up a realm of possibilities so vast that it can only end with our thoughts themselves becoming the signals! The only stipulation in this reasoning is that there must be some measurable and reproducible indicator of our thoughts. The complexity of the indicator itself is only a temporary barrier.
Historical Background:
An English scientist, Richard Caton, first discovered in 1875 that electrical impulses were emitted from the brains of rabbits and monkeys and published a study entitled “The Electric Currents of the Brain”. His methods were mostly invasive using electrodes placed on or in the cerebral cortex and so generated little interest, except for physiologists and science fiction writers, until Hans Berger, a German Psychiatrist, found in 1924 that he could reliably record “brain waves” non-invasively by placing electrodes on the scalps of humans. He called his technique “electroencephalography” or EEG. He was able to identify different patterns or “rhythms” that were present in normal brains in different states of consciousness and in response to various stimuli and to describe changes that occurred in some brain conditions such as epilepsy.
The EEG gradually became incorporated into modern medicine but its usages were always somewhat limited by the difficulties encountered in measuring and interpreting these tiny complex waveforms with the existing technology. Classically, this required extensive preparations including abrading the most superficial layer of skin at each measurement site, attaching multiple electrodes between strands of hair all over the scalp using gels, pastes and straps. Measured from the skin, these signals were only 10 to 100 microvolts and had to be amplified 1,000 to 100,000 times to be usable. Background noise and electromagnetic interference, micro-motions of the scalp from blinking and inadvertent facial expressions and irregularities at the skin/electrode contact sites, often generated signals of similar or greater amplitude, making it difficult to obtain reliable or reproducible results.
To complicate things further, the blood, the membranes and the cerebrospinal fluid in and around the brain, as well as the bones of the skull and the tissue of the scalp, “smear” and attenuate the signals averaging the output from thousands or millions of neurons giving the EEG poor spatial resolution (the ability to distinguish where in the brain the signal originated). Also, since signal strength falls off exponentially, activity from the deeper tissues below the cortex never even makes it to the scalp. The waveforms themselves are extremely complex and even experienced electroencephalographers had difficulty interpreting results.
It’s not surprising then that the EEG was slow to develop as a candidate for HCI over many decades and remained a “medical” phenomenon. Early BCI research was centered almost exclusively on helping patients with devastating brain or spinal cord injuries or diseases to restore some basic function to aid in activities of daily living. This has rightfully continued to be a main area of development and though the thrust of this article is more about presenting BCI as a logical progression of the human-computer interface for our convenience, I strongly recommend that you take a few minutes to see it in another context and appreciate what a tool it represents in people whose means of interaction are severely limited (as in this woman who had been unable to feed herself for more than a decade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRt8QCx3BCo).
One of the pioneers of this research and the first to use the term “Brain-Computer Interface” was Professor Jacques Vidal, an electrical and nuclear engineer for the Brain Research Institute at UCLA, in the early 1970’s. He wrote of the EEG: “Can these observable electrical brain signals be put to work as carriers of information in man-computer communication or for the purpose of controlling such external apparatus as prosthetic devices or spaceships? Even on the sole basis of the present states of the art of computer science and neurophysiology, one may suggest that such a feat is potentially around the corner.”
The concept was visionary in 1973. His efforts rapidly attracted the interest and funding of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a government agency founded in the late 1950’s to help the US win the “space race”. DARPA was interested in helping severely wounded Vietnam War veterans and in improving communication and training in the military setting. Desktop computing was still in its infancy and large mainframe machines were required. The problems with voltage measurements from the scalp were still formidable and truly reliable signals required implantation of electrodes on or within the cortex. The more deeply implanted electrodes caused other brain damage and usually became non-functional over time due to scar tissue. Such surgeries could only be justified in people with few other communication options and the costs were astronomical and prohibitive outside of the research setting.
So far, we have only discussed the EEG and have implied that these signals are the ONLY measurable indicators of brain activity. There are in fact several other known indicators that potentially give much more information about our thought processes because they include a high degree of spatial resolution. These include
(among others) magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). The problem is that to measure these parameters one must have access to multimillion-dollar machines, laboratories and highly skilled personnel. Oscillations in the pupil size of the eye have recently been used to indicate interest in various contextual images but it is too soon to know if this will be useful in more than simple item selection. Other measureable indicators will almost certainly come to light in the future but for now brain waves are the only practical and affordable game in town!
So, at least for the time being, to make BCI an area of mainstream research a reliable and simple surface measurement of the EEG is a critical factor. While the problem is far from being solved, major advances have been made in just the last few years that have brought it into the realm of practicality.
The main issues have been establishing and maintaining reliable conductive contact points with the skin on a hairy surface without messy gels and pastes and accommodating the many different shapes and sizes of people’s heads in a comfortable and “non-overwhelming” way. “Dry” electrodes of many different types are being developed and tested but one of the most promising is a soft conductive polymer pad surrounded by a conductive fabric that can establish a uniform surface contact by surrounding and pushing beyond individual hairs. Meanwhile, modern materials with just the right amount of flexibility are being used to fabricate stylish, adjustable and comfortable headgear.
Data processing has also changed since the 1970’s! Our computers became exponentially more powerful, progressively smaller and more portable, and particularly cheaper and more accessible (If you are interested in the evolution of our computers see: “The Changing Roles of our Desktops, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones”, also from Laptop Repair Hawaii: MobileREMEDIES®). These more sophisticated devices combined with wireless interconnectivity have been able to measure, quantify and cancel background noise and interference as well as analyze and identify complex patterns within signals. They have helped neuroscientists to better understand and interpret not only brain waves but many other underlying brain functions including plasticity in certain brain segments and even spontaneous wiring and communication of individual neurons in cell cultures (if you would like to glimpse a fascinating topic related to BCI see: Robot with a Biological Brain)! In short, our technological advances have allowed us to turn “the corner” that Vidal spoke of in 1973 and bring BCI into practical reality.
At MobileREMEDIES®, with locations on Maui and Oahu and mail-in service from anywhere in the world, you get a free diagnostic evaluation and an estimate of the repair costs and time required. You also always get a 1-year warranty on parts and service. If they can’t fix your device, you pay nothing for the attempt! In addition to laptops and desktop computers, they also repair cell phones, iPads and all other tablet PC’s as well as iPods and game systems (Xbox, PlayStations, Wii, etc.). They build custom computers for gamers and other high demand users, recover lost data, provide web services for individuals and small businesses, buy broken devices for cash or in-store credit and sell refurbished devices with a 1-year warranty, similar to a manufacturer’s warranty on a new device. You can find them at Laptop Repair Hawaii, iPhone repair Hawaii, iPad repair Hawaii, iPod repair Hawaii, Data Recovery Hawaii, Custom Computers Hawaii and Xbox repair Hawaii. You may also go to www.mobileremedies.com or call 1-800-867-5048.
In Part 2 we will look at some of the feats already being achieved by BCI in the current state of the art and look ahead to some projections for the future.
(Click here to read Part 2)
Human-Computer Interface Basics
In order to understand BCI we need to review some basic principles. To communicate with our computers we use some aspect of our behavior to modify a measurable “variable” that the computer can then use as an indication of our intention in a well-defined context. Pressing a particular key or set of keys on the keyboard is a direct and simple example. Since the computer has the potential to analyze and process its own input signals however, we can also use much more sophisticated and creative ways to indicate our choices. We can look at this as a progression by way of several examples.
This “evolutionary” process, building progressively more complex input and output algorithms, opens up a realm of possibilities so vast that it can only end with our thoughts themselves becoming the signals! The only stipulation in this reasoning is that there must be some measurable and reproducible indicator of our thoughts. The complexity of the indicator itself is only a temporary barrier.
Historical Background:
Data processing has also changed since the 1970’s! Our computers became exponentially more powerful, progressively smaller and more portable, and particularly cheaper and more accessible (If you are interested in the evolution of our computers see: “The Changing Roles of our Desktops, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones”, also from Laptop Repair Hawaii: MobileREMEDIES®). These more sophisticated devices combined with wireless interconnectivity have been able to measure, quantify and cancel background noise and interference as well as analyze and identify complex patterns within signals. They have helped neuroscientists to better understand and interpret not only brain waves but many other underlying brain functions including plasticity in certain brain segments and even spontaneous wiring and communication of individual neurons in cell cultures (if you would like to glimpse a fascinating topic related to BCI see: Robot with a Biological Brain)! In short, our technological advances have allowed us to turn “the corner” that Vidal spoke of in 1973 and bring BCI into practical reality.
In Part 2 we will look at some of the feats already being achieved by BCI in the current state of the art and look ahead to some projections for the future.
(Click here to read Part 2)
