ChapterPDF Available

The Possibilities of Using BCI Technology in Biomedical Engineering

Authors:

Abstract and Figures

The paper presents capabilities of building devices dedicated for persons with heavy mobility dysfunction and indicates the role of interfaces connecting brain with computer (Brain Computer Interface, BCI). Impulses coming from closing eyes, clenching teeth, and tongue movement were proposed as optimal in controlling the applications that manage executable systems. A group of electrodes giving a strong electric signal characteristic for the activity were designated and on the basis of conducted research a proposition of a scientific project concerning building of supporting devices for persons with heavy mobility dysfunction was presented.
Content may be subject to copyright.
Brain biophysics: perception, consciousness,
creativity. Computer Brain Interface (CBI)
Dariusz Man and Ryszard Olchawa
Institute of Physics, Opole University,
Oleska 48, 45-052 Opole, Poland
{dariusz.man,rolch}@uni.opole.pl
http:/fizyka.uni.opole.pl
Abstract. The paper presents connections between perception, aware-
ness, and creativity from the biophysical point of view. Attention was
drawn to human senses’ limitations and their influence on cognition.
The role of interfaces connecting brain with computer (BCI) and par-
ticular role of Computer Brain Interface (CBI) are indicated which the
authors believe will be the next stage of human brain supporting tech-
nology evolution. It will enable the growth of perception, awareness, and
creativity, and consequently lead to social development.
Keywords: Brain biophysics, perception biophysics, positive feedback
1 Introduction
Human brain is the most complex biophysical structure that the science tries to
describe. Despite multiple attempts to recreate the essence of brain, it’s func-
tioning is still a mystery. It may be tied to large amount of it’s building elements
[1] or not yet discovered mechanisms of this complex environment. By analyzing
brain as a physical structure it is possible to distinguish high number of log-
ical elements (neurons) above all. This number is estimated to be 1011 , and
due to numerous synapses (about seven thousand per neuron) results in 7 ×1014
functional connections. The human brain has been estimated to contain approxi-
mately 100 trillion synapses [2]. Such amount equals to about 88 TB of computer
data storage and nowadays does not seem shocking. The estimated connection
amount of 7 ×1014 is achieved in an assumption that every synapse is perma-
nently tied to one other neuron. In this case, a selected synapse can be attributed
with logical value of 1 if it is connected to a selected neuron or logical value of
0 if it is not connected. However, if we consider the dynamic nature of synapse
and neuron connections and assume it may connect with any other neuron, it is
possible to attribute synapse with logical value of 0 if it is not connected with
any neuron or logical values from 1 to (1011 1) in case of connection with
one of (1011 1) remaining neurons. This results in a drastic increase in pos-
sible functional connections configurations. Excluding configurations in which
two synapses of the same neuron connect with the same one from the remaining
2 Brain biophysics: perception, consciousness, creativity
neurons, the number of connections of one neuron with others equals to number
of combinations without repetitions given by Newton binomial series
1011 1
7×103.
Total number of neuron connection configurations can be given by equation
10111
7×103×1011
2,
with division by two allowing to avoid counting the same connection between
neurons twice. The approximate value of this equation is 1053132 . Each of the
connections forms a logical path that can be responsible for a specific action[3].
Synapses may be in one of two states: conduction, that is conducting the neural
impulse (logical 1); or no conduction, that is blocking the neural impulse (logical
0). Therefore, on the basic level the brain functions in a binary system, similar
to processors in our computers. Each stimulated neuron is accompanied by elec-
tric current which in turn induces electromagnetic field. Similar to computers,
brain functioning is accompanied by a specific background of varying electric
and electromagnetic potentials. These potentials can be registered in the form
of EEG signal (electroencephalograph). Richard Catona was the first man to
register these potentials on open brains of rabbits and monkeys. The results to-
gether with experiment description were published in British Medical Journal in
1875. Many years later, in 1924 psychiatrist Hans Berger conducted research on
EEG use on people and published his results in 1929 [4]. However, EEG was fully
approved by scientific community only in 1937. Currently, encephalography is
one of routine medical diagnosis methods used by neurologists and psychiatrists
despite its nature still not being sufficiently clarified. EEG measurement tech-
nology evolved together with development of electronics, physics, and neurology.
Microelectronics and digital technology in particular accelerated its development
by creating modern tools and opening new areas of research for scientists. One
of such areas is brain-computer-interface (BCI) which allows direct brain control
of adequately prepared applications [5–7]. It appears that researches on brain
functioning enter a new phase and leave medical practices to become subjects of
physics and engineering studies. This is an obvious success as the complex nature
of the problem requires involvement of researchers of many scientific disciplines.
2 Perception
Perception is organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory informa-
tion coming to brain through sensory organs in order to understand the environ-
ment [8]. On this basis we build ideas a model of the world that surrounds us. In
reality, it is sub jective and far incomplete idea. We will now approach this prob-
lem from the physicist’s perspective instead of the psychologist’s. The first thing
to notice is tremendous limitations of sensory organs which means that we miss
Title Suppressed Due to Excessive Length 3
an information, or rather a really big amount of it, in relation to what our senses
can register and process. Our brains acquire about 90% of information from two
senses only: sight (about 80%) and hearing (about 10%). The remaining 10% of
information is distributed between smell, touch, and taste senses Fig.1.
Fig. 1. The Percentage schema input form of information acquired by the human
senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste.
The idea of reality built by brain is therefore mostly based on sight. We
will now explore the physical capabilities of this detector which converts electro-
magnetic energy into nerve impulses (electric current). Eye construction ensures
good processing of quanta of the energy E(E=h3:h- Planck’s constant, 3-
frequency) of the wave length scope from 380 nm to 740 nm [9, 10]. However, the
multitude of information that surrounds our brains is placed in scope of energy
ranging from several thousand kilometers to a ten thousandth of a picometer of
wave length Tab. 1.
For this reason majority of information in form of electromagnetic radiation
that reaches the sight organ is invisible. The Universe and nature that surrounds
us constantly sends out information about its energetic state at the speed of light
but most of it eludes our perception. Similar to this situation is a problem of
information acquisition via the hearing organ. Sound wave travels the air at the
speed of about 340 m/s and our ears can process acoustic waves ranging from
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (cycles per second) [11] which equals wave lengths from 17
m to 2 cm, Tab. 2. The reality is far worse as majority of us cannot register
the full hearing range. While it is true that everyday communication (human
speech) requires much narrower frequency range: 130-1000 Hz for women, 65-
500 Hz for men; the world that surrounds us emits acoustic waves ranging from
a fraction to millions Hz. A sound that is lower in frequency than 20 Hz is
infrasound, and a sound above 20 kHz ultrasound. Many natural phenomena
including water waves, wind, wing movement of birds, fan centrifugation, etc.
generate infrasounds, often high powered, that may have negative influence on
human organism. On the other hand phenomena including surface tension of
crystal structures (e.g. rocks, steel, glass), piezoelectric effects, and echolocation
4 Brain biophysics: perception, consciousness, creativity
Table 1. Summary of parameters of electromagnetic waves (frequency and length) for
various types of waves.
Types of electromagnetic waves. Frequency Wavelength
Sources [Hz] [m]
Power engineering: Variable currents
and pulse
1 to 102300000 ×103to 3000 ×103
Corded phones 102to 1043000 ×103to 30 ×103
Hertz’s waves 104to 1013 30 ×103to 0.03 ×103
Radio waves:
Long waves 1.5×105to 3 ×1052000 to 1000
Medium waves 0.5×106to 2 ×106600 to 150
Short waves 0.6×107to 2 ×10750 to 15
Ultrafast waves 0.2×108to 3 ×10815 to 1
Microwaves: Radar, Technologies mili-
tary
3×108to 1013 1 to 0.03 ×103
Infrared: matter of temperature higher
up 0K.
1012 to 4 ×1014 0.03 ×103to 790 ×109
Visible light: Sun 4 ×1014 to 8 ×1014 790 to 390 ×109
UV: sun, electric arc 8 ×1014 to 3 ×1016 390 to 5 ×109
Radiation of character quantum
Roentgen’s rays 3 ×1016 to 3 ×1020 10000 to 1 ×1012
Rays γ1018 to 1022 300 to 0.03 ×1012
Cosmic rays 1022 to 1024 0.03 to 0.0003 ×1012
FREQUENCY LENGHT
[Hz] [m]
20 17
25 13.60
40 8.50
80 4.25
160 2.125
320 1.062
500 0.68
1000 0.34
2000 0.17
4000 0.085
10000 0.034
20000 0.017
Table 2. Summary of parameters of acoustic waves in the human hearing range. The
range most frequently used in voice communication is marked in bold.
Title Suppressed Due to Excessive Length 5
in animals (e.g. bats, dolphins), generate ultrasounds. Unfortunately, this kind
of information is unavailable for human mind. The world we build in our imagi-
nation is imperfect and perhaps even in certain cases entirely wrong. Therefore,
how are we to perceive nature if our perception is flawed. Correct stimuli iden-
tification and interpretation by our brains is a completely different matter (we
will leave this task for psychologists and psychiatrists).
3 Awareness
State or ability of being aware that is condition of thoughts, feelings, and will
as well as accompanying phenomena; recognition of own deeds and feelings by a
subject [12]. If awareness is mind’s ability to reflect ”objective reality” and con-
stitutes the highest level of psychological development, we must consider what
decides and builds awareness. It would appear that there are five distinct compo-
nents that influence the level of. The first is perception which is responsible for
gathering the information. Because the information must be processed and cor-
rectly allocated, knowledge and experience are necessary. In order to draw con-
clusions and take optimal decisions based on the processed informations we use
intelligence. Our decisions and assessment are further verified by ethics. There-
fore, perception, intelligence, knowledge, experience and ethics Fig.2. model our
awareness.
Fig. 2. Elements influencing the development of awareness.
It would appear that broadening the area of our knowledge through studying
and perception by e.g. using certain interfaces we are able to influence our aware-
ness. Physics, and particularly biophysics and BCI technology, play an important
role here which is broadening the electromagnetic and acoustic waves registering
and processing capabilities to an area currently unavailable for our senses. This
will create entirely new cognitive capacity, particularly when linked directly to
brain and will most probably have a significant influence on our awareness.
4 Creativity
Currently, there are a few more or less extensive definitions of creativity. The
word itself is derived from Latin creatus which means creative. Therefore, cre-
ativity is a process which leads to emergence of new solutions, exactli ”Over the
6 Brain biophysics: perception, consciousness, creativity
course of the last decade, however, we seem to have reached a general agreement
that creativity involves the production of novel, useful products” Michael Mum-
ford 2003 [13] . Social development is the effect of creativity which we owe to
the growing awareness and the rapid human development during past decades
is amazing. In the beginning of the XX century horses were the basic means of
transportation, a solution that lasting for thousands of years. Half a century age
text written on paper was the basic mean of information and nowadays thanks
to digital technology we have a variety of options. In 1969 people landed on
the Moon and there are thousands of satellites over our heads including the
International Space Station. We are now timidly begin the era of space explo-
ration, however what we have achieved as a species for the last hundred years can
be considered a miracle when compared to everything our civilization achieved
during thousands of years. There can be only one diagnosis of this enormous de-
velopmental acceleration considerable increase in sciences’ development, physics
and chemistry in particular. This development was made possible thanks to the
discovery and use of new devices that broadened our perception which became
a positive feedback Fig.3. Creativity provides the means to broaden perception
which in consequence leads to the development of awareness and creativity.
Fig. 3. Diagram of positive feedback reinforcing development of civilization.
5 Conclusion
It would appear that humanity stands before another phase of development ac-
celeration. Technology allows significant broadening of cognition. Interfaces that
connect our brains with computers and mediate the use of machines allow ex-
ploration of entirely new areas. Imagine a device that processes electromagnetic
wave lengths ranging from radio waves to gamma waves in a way understand-
able for human brain instead of eyes with a limited functionality. Additionally,
such device could increase the optic sensitivity and allowing magnification in
any range (physically possible). Imagine a wide range interface that processes
sounds from hearing range as well as infra- and ultrasounds instead of ears.
This would certainly change our perception of the world and introduce the new
area of awareness. In order to achieve it, we must further develop the BIC tech-
nology and create safe and non-invasive Computer Brain Interface (CBI). We
must once again look at the problem from the biophysics’ perspective to fully
Title Suppressed Due to Excessive Length 7
understand new capabilities that could appear thanks to this technology. The
so-called reality is in fact a virtual world based on the acquired data and cre-
ated by the neurons of our brains (this problem was discussed in detail during
a lecture cycle in Opole University Institute of Physics and I and II Konfer-
encja Mzg Komputer (BCI Conference) in Opole University of Technology and
described [14]). The current state and perception capabilities of our main senses
are surprisingly weak. If we assume that length of electromagnetic waves ranges
from about 3 ×1016 m to 3 ×108m in nature (24 orders of magnitude), our
sight registers barely 109% of available information. What does that mean? It
is as if one was to make an opinion on the content of a library that contains
a billion (109) books after reading a single book! Food for thought. In case of
hearing, we are able to only register about 2×102% of all acoustic information.
Our main senses do not allow for reasonable data collection about the Universe.
Here physics comes to our aid once again. Microscopes, telescopes, and spectro-
scopes built by scientists further increase the capabilities of sight. However, this
knowledge is available to a small group of people. This, coupled with growing
specialization in sciences often makes it impossible to take a holistic approach
to problems. This is why creating new tools, most importantly the CBI, appears
to be a necessity on one hand and on the other a natural process of creativity
evolution of our civilization.
References
1. Pelvig, D.P., Pakkenberg, H., Stark, A.K., Pakkenberg, B.: Neocortical glial cell
numbers in human brains. J. Neurobiol. 29 (11), 1754-1762 (2008)
2. Williams, R.W., Herrup, K.: The control of neuron number. Annual Rev. Neuro-
science. 11, 423453 (1988)
3. Shepherd, G.M.: Ch. 1: Introduction to synaptic circuits. The Synaptic Organization
of the Brain. Oxford University Press US. (2004)
4. Haas, L.F.: Hans Berger (1873-1941), Richard Caton (1842-1926) and electroen-
cephalography. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 74 ( 2003)
5. Nicolas-Alonso, L.F., Gomez-Gil, J.: Brain computer interfaces, a review, Sensors
(Basel). 12(2): 1211-1279 (2012)
6. Shih, J.J., Krusienski, D.J., Wolpaw, J.R.: Brain-computer interfaces in medicine.
Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 87(3), 268-279 (2012)
7. Looney, D., Kidmose, P., Mandic, P.: Ear-EEG: user-centered and wearable BCI.
Brain-Comput. Interface Res. Biosyst. Biorobot. 6, 4150 (2014)
8. Bernstein, Douglas A.: Essentials of Psychology. Cengage Learning. 123124 (2010)
9. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/50678-visible-light.html.
10. Gollisch, T., Meister, M.: Eye Smarter than Scientists Believed: Neural Computa-
tions in Circuits of the Retina. Neuron. 65 (2), 150 -164 (2010)
11. The Physics Factbook. https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/ChrisDAmbrose.shtml
12. Kopaliski, W.: Sownik wyrazw obcych i zwrotw obcojzycznych. pp. 389. Wiedza
Powszechna, Warszawa (1967)
13. Mumford, M. D.: Where have we been, where are we going? Taking stock in cre-
ativity research. Creat. Res. J. 15. 107- 120 (2003)
14. Man, D.: Biofizyka mzgu Czy istnieje globalna wiadomo?. Wspczesne problemy w
zakresie inynierii biomedycznej i neuronauk, Opole 7-14 (2016)
... V. NEGOTIATING SURROUNDINGS Humans sense their environment approximately 90% from two senses -sight (about 80%) and hearing (about 10%). The remaining 10% of information is acquired from smell, touch, and taste senses [16]. Thus, sight in particular is critical during the motion of an individual from one place to another. ...
... It operates between 2.7-5.5 volts. [16] ...
Article
Of the 8 billion people alive today, over a billion suffer from some level of vision impairment, with 43 million being fully blind. This paper focuses on the millions of people who lack access to affordable assistive devices. Most visually impaired individuals, particularly those in low- and middle-income regions, rely on traditional aids like canes due to the high cost and limited availability of alternative solutions. The paper presents a field-tested, cost-effective and inconspicuous assistive mobility device designed to aid visually impaired individuals in navigating their surroundings safely. The device employs an ultrasonic sensor, microcontroller, rechargeable battery, and buzzer to detect obstacles within a specific range and provide auditory alerts to the user. Through rigorous lab testing and real-world validation, the device’s effectiveness in detecting obstacles and guiding users was demonstrated. Its affordability, simplicity, and inconspicuous design make it a promising solution for enhancing the mobility and independence of visually impaired individuals worldwide. Future upgrades aim to extend the device's operational time, reduce its size, and implement voice recommendations based on detected obstacles
... For example, the cochlea's sound filter bank for hearing and the ganglion cell's receptive field for visual 8 . These two sensory modalities, which collectively account for 90% of our external perception of surrounding information 9 , have been incorporated into our deep model. To enhance the fundamental concept of similarity comparison within biological processing systems mentioned above, the combination of a fast advanced signal algorithm, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), with WT is employed. ...
Article
Full-text available
Rapid and precise forecasting of dynamical systems is critical to ensuring safe aerospace missions. Previous forecasting research has primarily concentrated on global trend analysis using full-scale inputs. However, time series arising from real-world applications such as aerospace propulsion, exhibit a distinct dynamical periodicity over a limited timeframe. Here we develop a deep learning model, TimeWaves, to capture both global trends and local variations, through 3D spectrum-oriented interval extraction from an integrated viewpoint of biological perceptions. Specifically, a shared parameter fusion algorithm is employed to effectively integrate Fourier and Wavelet analyses, providing full and sliced 1D sequences to form 2D tensors that can be seamlessly processed by parameter-efficient inception blocks. Additionally, a dual-way learning workflow using TwinBlock, inspired by the cooperative behavior of visual cells, is implemented to enhance perception of dynamical multi-scale features at a reduced computational cost. TimeWaves demonstrates reliable and robust performance in predicting rocket combustion instability, a key challenge in the aerospace industry.
... However, its importance is critical, as most actions in sports are responses to visual stimuli. Visual input accounts for 80% of the sensory information processed by the brain and is crucial for executing motor actions [2]. Recent studies have shown that elite athletes tend to possess superior visual abilities, including a wider visual field, enhanced peripheral vision, reduced near and far phoria, greater stereopsis, and improved ocular motility [3]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose “Minimum Perceptual Time” (MPT) is the ability to take the most visual information in the least time. The purpose of the study was to assess intraobserver and interobserver repeatability of a MPT measurement method by using COI-SV® software and to analyze the possible influence of age and sex. Methods MPT was measured in 79 participants by using COI-SV® software. Visual acuity was 20/80 (2.50 m) and numbers were gradually increasing in quantity and decreasing in exposure time. The most quantity of numbers and the least time was written down. To assess intraobserver and interobserver repeatability, a protocol based on repeating the test 4 times (2 intrasession and 2 intersessions with 2 examinators) was established. Comparison of means and Spearman correlation were performed to evaluate the influence of sex and age. It was investigated inter and intraexaminer variability using repeatability indices, as well as Bland-Altman analysis to define limits of agreement. Results A total of 79 participants were included (mean age 32.8 ± 11.95 years, range 19–64 years). Regarding sex, there were no significant differences between men and women (p = 0.080), whereas age and MPT had an inverse correlation (p = 0.01). Interexaminer and intraexaminer repeatability proved to be moderate to good in all methods. Bland-Altman showed difference between sessions was 0.259 ± 2.189 (-4.030 and + 4.549) and difference between examiners was − 0.519 ± 2.104 (-4.642 and + 3.604). Conclusion MPT measurements with COI-SV® software evidenced moderate to good repeatability and observers` independent result, so it could be included in optometric examinations. Key Messages What is known Sports optometry is a relatively new field, so research is scarce and of poor quality. The scarcity of literature is practically limited to studies in the field of psychology, although they do not provide us with much information since they have not been studied for the mentioned field. The in-depth study of new standardized measurement methods would be of great help for optometrists in their clinical practice. What is new This study is the first to determine intraobserver and interobserver repeatability and reproducibility for Minimum Perceptual Time (MPT) measurements acquired by the COI-SV® software, exhibiting ICC > 0.7 and establishing limits of agreement by using Bland-Altman analysis. In a significant way, MPT and age would have an inverse correlation, whereas MPT results would be better in men than women. Our results add evidence towards validating the test included in COI-SV® software so that the optometrist can include it in their clinical protocols in order to obtain more complete information on visual examinations.
... Dariusz berpendapat bahwa manusia mendapatkan 90% informasi melalui indra pendengaran dan indra penglihatan, indra pendengaran sebesar 10% dan indra penglihatan sebesar 80%. Sisa 10 % informasi yang kita dapatkan melalui gabungan antara indra perasa, sentuhan dan penciuman [5]. Jadi, dapat kita simpulkan pendidik harus mengutamakan kegiatan pembelajaran melalui media pembelajaran untuk memperoleh target pembelajaran yang telah ditentukan. ...
Article
Full-text available
Graffiti is a cross-cultural phenomenon that transcends geographical and chronological boundaries, becoming extremely popular with artists, archaeologists, cultural anthropologists and even linguists due to the variety of forms it takes and limitless freedom of expression it offers. Despite the contradictory nature and mixed views on its value, the anonymous form and wide availability to the public make graffiti an effective communication tool and an exceptionally interesting research object. Artists often employ antithesis (stylistic opposition) that helps them gain a new, broader and at times paradoxical perspective on pressing social, political and environmental issues by finding the points of stark contrast. This study has been carried out to identify the stylistic peculiarities of modern English graffiti, focusing on the analysis of antithesis. The findings indicate that, in order to convey opposing ideas, artists tend to choose contextual antonyms over objectively contrasting pairs of root ones which can be explained by their novelty and extraordinary polarity. The study suggests that all the analysed cases of antithesis can be grouped into explicit (the juxtaposition of the ideas is expressed in the written part while the graphical one heightens the effect) and implicit (the written part opposes the graphical one and a complete understanding of the message encoded in the graffiti is impossible without careful examination of both of them). The research also offers insights into expressive means and stylistic devices that enhance the aesthetic effect of antithesis such as rhyme, alliteration, parallelism and framing.
Article
Functional MRI (fMRI) is a brain signal with high spatial resolution, and visual cognitive processes and semantic information in the brain can be represented and obtained through fMRI. In this paper, we design single-graphic and matched/unmatched double-graphic visual stimulus experiments and collect 12 subjects’ fMRI data to explore the brain’s visual perception processes. In the double-graphic stimulus experiment, we focus on the high-level semantic information as “matching”, and remove tail-to-tail conjunction by designing a model to screen the matching-related voxels. Then, we perform Bayesian causal learning between fMRI voxels based on the transfer entropy, establish a hierarchical Bayesian causal network (HBcausalNet) of the visual cortex, and use the model for visual stimulus image reconstruction. HBcausalNet achieves an average accuracy of 70.57% and 53.70% in single- and double-graphic stimulus image reconstruction tasks, respectively, higher than HcorrNet and HcasaulNet. The results show that the matching-related voxel screening and causality analysis method in this paper can extract the “matching” information in fMRI, obtain a direct causal relationship between matching information and fMRI, and explore the causal inference process in the brain. It suggests that our model can effectively extract high-level semantic information in brain signals and model effective connections and visual perception processes in the visual cortex of the brain.
Chapter
The functions of electromagnetic waves both as an information carrier and energy field in the impact on the human body have been discussed. Possible consequences of the effect of electromagnetic fields of different frequencies on the human brain and body have been addressed and commented on. The complex nature of electromagnetic phenomena revealed in interactions between humans and the environment, featuring the most relevant hazards, was demonstrated.
Research
Full-text available
Detailed exploration on Brain Computer Interface (BCI) and its recent trends has been done in this paper. Work is being done to identify objects, images, videos and their color compositions. Efforts are on the way in understanding speech, words, emotions, feelings and moods. When humans watch the surrounding environment, visual data is processed by the brain, and it is possible to reconstruct the same on the screen with some appreciable accuracy by analyzing the physiological data. This data is acquired by using one of the non-invasive techniques like electroencephalography (EEG) in BCI. The acquired signal is to be translated to produce the image on to the screen. This paper also lays suitable directions for future work.
Article
Full-text available
Detailed exploration on Brain Computer Interface (BCI) and its recent trends has been done in this paper. Work is being done to identify objects, images, videos and their color compositions. Efforts are on the way in understanding speech, words, emotions, feelings and moods. When humans watch the surrounding environment, visual data is processed by the brain, and it is possible to reconstruct the same on the screen with some appreciable accuracy by analyzing the physiological data. This data is acquired by using one of the non-invasive techniques like electroencephalography (EEG) in BCI. The acquired signal is to be translated to produce the image on to the screen. This paper also lays suitable directions for future work.
Article
Full-text available
A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a hardware and software communications system that permits cerebral activity alone to control computers or external devices. The immediate goal of BCI research is to provide communications capabilities to severely disabled people who are totally paralyzed or 'locked in' by neurological neuromuscular disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain stem stroke, or spinal cord injury. Here, we review the state-of-the-art of BCIs, looking at the different steps that form a standard BCI: signal acquisition, preprocessing or signal enhancement, feature extraction, classification and the control interface. We discuss their advantages, drawbacks, and latest advances, and we survey the numerous technologies reported in the scientific literature to design each step of a BCI. First, the review examines the neuroimaging modalities used in the signal acquisition step, each of which monitors a different functional brain activity such as electrical, magnetic or metabolic activity. Second, the review discusses different electrophysiological control signals that determine user intentions, which can be detected in brain activity. Third, the review includes some techniques used in the signal enhancement step to deal with the artifacts in the control signals and improve the performance. Fourth, the review studies some mathematic algorithms used in the feature extraction and classification steps which translate the information in the control signals into commands that operate a computer or other device. Finally, the review provides an overview of various BCI applications that control a range of devices.
Chapter
We present a radically new solution for EEG-based brain computer interface (BCI) where electrodes are embedded on a customized earpiece, as typically used in hearing aids (Ear-EEG). This provides a noninvasive, minimally intrusive and user-friendly EEG platform suitable for long-term use (days) in natural environments. The operation of Ear-EEG is illustrated for alpha-attenuation and responses to auditory stimuli, and its potential in BCI is evaluated on an SSVEP study. We show that Ear-EEG bitrate performances are comparable with those of on-scalp electrodes, thus promising a quantum step forward for wearable BCI.
Article
The dedicated work of numerous scholars has, over the last 10 years, led to some radical advances in our understanding of the nature and implications of creativity. This work has been summarized in 2 recent handbooks - Mark Runco's Creativity Research Handbook and Robert Sternberg's Handbook of Creativity. In this article I use these handbooks as a starting point to take stock in both what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done in our attempts to understand creativity. I begin by noting that both handbooks clearly describe the major approaches being used in studies of creativity and the findings resulting from each approach. A careful review of the chapters presented in these handbooks, however, brings to the fore a number of issues. For example, we need critical comparative tests contrasting the merits of different methods and theories, elaboration and extension of our traditional samples and our traditional measures, and more attempts to develop integrative models. However, some topics, such as the demands of practical innovation, cross-field differences in the nature of creative thought, and the effects of creativity on people and social systems need more thorough treatment. By laying a foundation for cumulative research along those lines, publication of these handbooks represents an important step toward development of a coherent, scientific model of the creative act.
Article
For many decades, instrument control by just thinking, using brain waves, has been accepted in science fiction. However, it is only in the last ten years that these systems have been shown to be feasible in laboratories. Successful Brain Computer Interface (BCI) systems have many potential applications, especially for patients who are paralyzed. Although extensive research has been done in this area, to date, BCI systems have not been implemented successfully outside of laboratories. The problems that impede transferring the successful research results to the outside world are highlighted in this paper. The main problems can be classified into two distinct parts, first, the sensory interfacing problems and, second, the reliability of the different classification algorithms for the ElectroEncephaloGraphic patterns. Potential future applications for this technology have been addressed.
Article
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to output devices that carry out desired actions. BCIs do not use normal neuromuscular output pathways. The main goal of BCI is to replace or restore useful function to people disabled by neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury. From initial demonstrations of electroencephalography-based spelling and single-neuron-based device control, researchers have gone on to use electroencephalographic, intracortical, electrocorticographic, and other brain signals for increasingly complex control of cursors, robotic arms, prostheses, wheelchairs, and other devices. Brain-computer interfaces may also prove useful for rehabilitation after stroke and for other disorders. In the future, they might augment the performance of surgeons or other medical professionals. Brain-computer interface technology is the focus of a rapidly growing research and development enterprise that is greatly exciting scientists, engineers, clinicians, and the public in general. Its future achievements will depend on advances in 3 crucial areas. Brain-computer interfaces need signal-acquisition hardware that is convenient, portable, safe, and able to function in all environments. Brain-computer interface systems need to be validated in long-term studies of real-world use by people with severe disabilities, and effective and viable models for their widespread dissemination must be implemented. Finally, the day-to-day and moment-to-moment reliability of BCI performance must be improved so that it approaches the reliability of natural muscle-based function.
Chapter
Brain–computer interface (BCI) systems detect changes in brain signals that reflect human intention, then translate these signals to control monitors or external devices (for a comprehensive review, see [1]). BCIs typically measure electrical signals resulting from neural firing (i.e. neuronal action potentials, Electroencephalogram (ECoG), or Electroencephalogram (EEG)). Sophisticated pattern recognition and classification algorithms convert neural activity into the required control signals. BCI research has focused heavily on developing powerful signal processing and machine learning techniques to accurately classify neural activity [2–4].
Article
We rely on our visual system to cope with the vast barrage of incoming light patterns and to extract features from the scene that are relevant to our well-being. The necessary reduction of visual information already begins in the eye. In this review, we summarize recent progress in understanding the computations performed in the vertebrate retina and how they are implemented by the neural circuitry. A new picture emerges from these findings that helps resolve a vexing paradox between the retina's structure and function. Whereas the conventional wisdom treats the eye as a simple prefilter for visual images, it now appears that the retina solves a diverse set of specific tasks and provides the results explicitly to downstream brain areas.