BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE (BCI)

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) provides a new communication channel between the
human brain and the computer. The 100 billion neurons communicate via minute
electrochemical impulses, shifting patterns sparking like fireflies on a summer evening, that
produce movement, expression, words. Mental activity leads to changes of
electrophysiological signals.

The BCI system detects such changes and transforms it into a control signal .In the case of
cursor control, for example, the signal is transmitted directly from the brain to the mechanism
directing the cursor, rather than taking the normal route through the body's neuromuscular
system from the brain to the finger on a mouse.

By reading signals from an array of neurons and using computer chips and programs to
translate the signals into action, BCI can enable a person suffering from paralysis to write a
book or control a motorized wheelchair or prosthetic limb through thought alone Many
physiological disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or injuries such as high-
level spinal cord injury can disrupt the communication path between the brain and the body.
This is where brain computer interface comes into play contributing for beneficial real time
services and applications .

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CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE?

2.1 The Wonder Machine – Human Brain

The reason a BCI works at all is because of the way our brains function. Our brains are
filled with neurons, individual nerve cells connected to one another by dendrites and axons.
Every time we think, move, feel or remember something, our neurons are at work. That work
is carried out by small electric signals that zip from neuron to neuron as fast as 250mph. The
signals are generated by differences in electric potential carried by ions on the membrane of
each neuron.

Although the paths the signals take are insulated by something called myelin, some of the
electric signal escapes. Scientists can detect those signals, interpret what they mean and use
them to direct a device of some kind. It can also work the other way around.

For example, researchers could figure out what signals are sent to the brain by the optic nerve
when someone sees the color red. They could rig a camera that would send those exact
signals into someone's brain whenever the camera saw red, allowing a blind person to "see"
withouteyes.

Fig 2.1 Basic block diagram of a BCI system incorporating signal detection, processing and
deployment

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2.2 History

The history of brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) starts with Hans Berger's discovery of the
electrical activity of the human brain and the development of electroencephalography (EEG).
In 1924 Berger was the first to record human brain activity by means of EEG.Berger was able
to identify oscillatory activity in the brain by analyzing EEG traces. One wave he identified
was the alpha wave (8–13 Hz), also known as Berger's wave.

Berger's first recording device was very rudimentary. He inserted silver wires under
thescalps of his patients. These were later replaced by silver foils attached to the patients'
head by rubber bandages. Berger connected these sensors to a Lippmann capillary
electrometer, with disappointing results. More sophisticated measuring devices, such as the
Siemens double-coil recording galvanometer, which displayed electric voltages as small as
one ten thousandth of a volt, led to success.

Berger analyzed the interrelation of alternations in his EEG wave diagrams with brain
diseases. EEGs permitted completely new possibilities for the research of human brain
activities.

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CHAPTER 3

BCI INPUT AND OUTPUT

One of the biggest challenges facing brain-computer interface researchers today is the basic
mechanics of the interface itself. The easiest and least invasive method is a set of electrodes --
a device known as an electroencephalograph (EEG) -- attached to the scalp. The electrodes
can read brain signals. However, the skull blocks a lot of the electrical signal, and it distorts
what does get through.

To get a higher-resolution signal, scientists can implant electrodes directly into the gray
matter of the brain itself, or on the surface of the brain, beneath the skull. This allows for
much more direct reception of electric signals and allows electrode placement in the specific
area of the brain where the appropriate signals are generated. This approach has many
problems, however. It requires invasive surgery to implant the electrodes, and devices left in
the brain long-term tend to cause theformation of scar tissue in the gray matter. This scar
tissue ultimately blocks signals.

Regardless of the location of the electrodes, the basic mechanism is the same: The electrodes
measure minute differences in the voltage between neurons. The signal is then amplified and
filtered. In current BCI systems, it is then interpreted by a computer program, although you
might be familiar with older analogue encephalographs, which displayed the signals via pens
that automatically wrote out the patterns on a continuous sheet of paper.

In the case of a sensory input BCI, the function happens in reverse. A computer converts a
signal, such as one from a video camera, into the voltages necessary to trigger neurons. The
signals are sent to an implant in the proper area of the brain, and if everything works
correctly, the neurons fire and the subject receives a visual image corresponding to what the
camera sees.Another way to measure brain activity is with a Magnetic ResonanceImage
(MRI). An MRI machine is a massive, complicated device. It produces very high-resolution
images of brain activity, but it can't be used as part of a permanent or semipermanent BCI.
Researchers use it to get benchmarks for certain brain functions or to map where in the brain
electrodes should be placed to measure a specific function.

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For example,if researchers are attempting to implant electrodes that will allow someone to
control a robotic arm with their thoughts, they might first put the subject into an MRI and ask
him or her to think about moving their actual arm. The MRI will show which area of the
brain is active during arm movement, giving them a clearer target for electrode placement.So,
what are the real-life uses of a BCI? Read on to find out the possibilities.

Fig 4.1 How Brain-computer Interface work.

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A similar method is used to manipulate a computer cursor, with the subject thinking about
forward, left, right and back movements of the cursor. With enough practice, users can gain
enough control over a cursor to draw a circle, access computer programs and control a TV.It
could theoretically be expanded to allow users to "type" with their thoughts.

Once the basic mechanism of converting thoughts to computerized or robotic action is

perfected, the potential uses for the technology are almost limitless. Instead of a robotic hand,
disabled users could have robotic braces attached to their own limbs, allowing them to move
and directly interact with the environment.This could even be accomplished without the
"robotic" part of the device. Signals could be sent to the appropriate motor control nerves in
the hands, bypassing a damaged section of the spinal cord and allowing actual movement of
the subject's own hands.

Fig 4.2 how the brain-computer interface works.

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CHAPTER 4

SENSORY INPUT
The most common and oldest way to use a BCI is a cochlear implant.For the average
person, sound waves enter the ear and pass throughseveral tiny organs that eventually
pass the vibrations on to the auditory nerves in the form of electric signals. If the
mechanism of the ear is severely damaged, that person will be unable to hear anything.
However, the auditory nerves may be functioning perfectly well. They just aren't
receiving any signals.

A cochlear implant bypasses the nonfunctioning part of the ear, processes the sound
waves into electric signals and passes them via electrodes right to the auditory nerves.
The result: A previously deaf person can now hear. He might not hear perfectly, but it
allows him to understand conversations.

The processing of visual information by the brain is much more complex than that of
audio information, so artificial eye development isn't as advanced. Still, the principle is
the same. Electrodes are implanted in or near the visual cortex, the area of the brain that
processes visual information from the retinas. A pair of glasses holding small cameras is
connected to a computer and, in turn, to the implants. After a training period similar to
the one used for remote thought-controlled movement,the subject can see.

Again, the vision isn't perfect, but refinements in technology have improved it
tremendously since it was first attempted in the 1970s. Jens Naumann was the recipient
of a second-generation implant. He was completely blind, but now he can navigate New
York City's subways by himself and even drive a car around a parking lot. In terms of
science fiction becoming reality, this process gets very close. The terminals that connect
the camera glasses to the electrodes in Naumann's brain aresimilar to those used to
connect the VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ) worn by blind engineering
officer Geordi La Forge inthe "Star Trek: The Next Generation" TV show and films, and
they're both essentially the same technology. However, Naumann isn't able to "see"
invisible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

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4.1 BCI Drawbacks and Innovators

Although we already understand the basic principles behind BCIs, they don't work
perfectly. There are several reasons for this. The brain is incredibly complex. To say that
all thoughts or actions are the result of simple electric signals in the brain is a gross
understatement. There are about 100 billion neurons in a human brain [source:
Greenfield]. Each neuron is constantly sending and receiving signals through a complex
web of connections. There are chemical processes involved as well, which EEGs can't
pick up on.The signal is weak and prone to interference. EEGs measure tiny voltage
potentials. Something as simple as the blinking eyelids of the subject can generate much
stronger signals. Refinements in EEGs and implants will probably overcome this
problem to some extent in the future, but for now, reading brain signals is like listening to
a bad phone connection.There's lots of static.

The equipment is less than portable. It's far better than it used to be early systems were
hard wired to massive mainframe computers. But some BCIs still require a wired
connection to the equipment, and those that are wireless require the subject to carry a
computer that can weight around 10 pounds. Like all technology, this will surely become
lighter and more wireless in the future.

4.2 BCI Innovators

A few companies are pioneers in the field of BCI. Most of them are still in the research
stages, though a few products are offered commercially. Neural Signals is developing
technology to restore speech to disabled people. An implant in an area of the brain
associated with speech (Broca's area) would transmit signals to a computer and then to a
speaker. With training, the subject could learn to think each of the 39phonemes in the
English language and reconstruct speech through the computer and speaker.NASA has
researched a similar system, although it reads electric signals from the nerves in the
mouth and throat area, rather than directly from the brain. They succeeded in performing
a Web search by mentally "typing" the"NASA"intoGoogle.CyberkineticNeurotechnology
Systems is marketing the BrainGate, a neural interface system that allows disabled
people to control a wheelchair, robotic prosthesis or computer cursor. Japanese

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researchers have developed a preliminary BCI that allows the user to control their avatar
in the online world Second Life.

4.3 BCI versus neuroprosthetics

Neuroprosthetics is an area of neuroscience concerned with neural prostheses. That is using
artificial devices to replace the function of impaired nervous systems and brain related
problems, or of sensory organs. The most widely used neuroprosthetic device is the cochlear
implant which, as of December 2010, had been implanted in approximately 220,000 people
worldwide. There are also several neuroprosthetic devices that aim to restore vision,
including retinal implants.

The difference between BCIs and neuroprosthetics is mostly in how the terms are used:
neuroprosthetics typically connect the nervous system to a device, whereas BCIs usually
connect the brain (or nervous system) with a computer system. Practical neuroprosthetics can
be linked to any part of the nervous system—for example, peripheral nerves—while the term
"BCI" usually designates a narrower class of systems which interface with the central nervous
system.

The terms are sometimes, however, used interchangeably.Neuroprosthetics and BCIs seek to
achieve the same aims, such as restoring sight, hearing, movement, ability to communicate,
and even cognitive function. Both use similar experimental methods and surgical techniques.

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CHAPTER 5

HUMAN BCI RESEARCH

5.1 INVASIVE BCIs

Invasive BCI research has targeted repairing damaged sight and providing new functionality

for the people with paralysis. Invasive BCIs are implanted directly into the grey matter of the

brain during neurosurgery. Because they lie in the grey matter, invasive devices produce the

highest quality signals of BCI devices but are prone to scar-tissue build-up,causing the signal

to become weaker, or even non-existent, as the body reacts to a foreign object in the brain.

5.2 NON-INVASIVE BCIs

As well as invasive experiments, there have also been experiments in humans using non-

invasive neuroimaging technologies as interfaces.Signals recorded in this way have been used

to power muscle implants and restore partial movement in an experimental volunteer.

Although they are easy to wear, non-invasive implants produce poor signal resolution

because the skull dampens signals, dispersing and blurring the electromagnetic waves created

by the neurons. Although the waves can still be detected it is more difficult to determine the

area of the brain that created them or the actions of individual neurons.

5.3 PARTIALLY INVASIVE BCIs

Partially invasive BCI devices are implanted inside the skull but restoutside the brain rather

than within the grey matter. They produce better resolution signals than non-invasive BCIs

where the bone tissue of the cranium deflects and deforms signals and have a lower risk of

forming scar-tissue in the brain than fully invasive BCIs.

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CHAPTER 6
APPLICATIONS
Device control

Research on BCIs to assist users lacking full limb development has matured to the point that
such users are already benefiting, even though the devices offer limited speed, accuracy, and
efficiency. Nonmedical device control is more problematic. Users with full muscular control
cannot benefit as easily because a BCI lacks the bandwidth and accuracy to compete with a
standard input device, such as a mouse or keyboard. Introducing a shared control scheme
would enable the user to give high-level, open-loop commands while the device takes care of
low-level control.

User-state monitoring

Future interfaces must be able to understand and anticipate the user's state and intentions.
Automobiles could alert sleepy drivers, or virtual humans could convince users to stick to
their diet.

Evaluation

Evaluation applications can be either online or offline. The former continuously provide
evaluations, in real or near real time; the latter provide evaluations only once, after the
experimental study is finished.Neuroergonomics and neuromarketing are two application
subareas.

Training and education

Most training aspects relate to the brain and its plasticity - the brain's ability to change, grow,
and remap itself. Measuring plasticity can help improve training methods and individual
training regimens.

Gaming and entertainment

Over the past few years, companies such as Neurosky, Emotiv, UncleMilton, MindGames,
and Mattel have released numerous products. Most developers are convinced that BCIs will

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enrich the gaming andentertainment experience in games tailored to the user's affective state
-immersion, flow, frustration, surprise, and so on.

Cognitive improvement

A common nonmedical application involving a BCI is neurofeedback training, in which

operant conditioning alters brain activity to improve attention, working memory, and
executive functions.

Safety and security

Safety and security EEG alone or combined EEG and eye movement data from expert
observers could support the detection of deviantbehavior and suspicious objects. Also, image
inspection might be faster than is possible with current methods.

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CHAPTER 7
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

7.1 Advantages of BCI:

Eventually, this technology could:

• Allow paralyzed people to control prosthetic limbs with their mind.

• Transmit visual images to the mind of a blind person, allowing them to see.

• Transmit auditory data to the mind of a def person, allowing them to hear.

• Allow gamers to control video games with their minds.

• Allow a mute person to have their thoughts displayed and spoken by a computer

7.2 Disadvantages of BCI:

• Research is still in beginning stages.

• The current technology is crude.

• Ethical issues may prevent its development.

• Electrodes outside of the skull can detect very few electric signals from the brain.

• Electrodes placed inside the skull create scar tissue in the brain.

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CONCLUSION
The ability of computers to enhance and augment both mental and physical abilities and
potential is no longer the exclusive realm of science fiction writers. It is becoming a reality.
Brain Computer Interface technology will help define the potential of the human race. It
holds the promise of bringing sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and the return of normal
functionality to the physically impaired. A miracle? Hardly. But perhaps the next closest
thing.
1. As BCI technology further advances, brain tissue may one day give way to implanted
silicon chips thereby creating a completely computerized simulation of the human
brain that can be augmented at will. Futurists predict that from there, superhuman
artificialintelligence won't be far behind.

REFERENCES
1. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer interface.html

2.http://gigaom.com/2014/01/16/control-anything-using-your-mind-with-theopenbci-brain-
computer-interface/

3. http://www.braincomputerinterface.com/bci-ethics-moral-implications/

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interface

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