Brain-Computer Interfaces And Mind Control Move One Step Closer To Becoming Reality – Forbes

Brain-computer interfaces will initially be used for assistive purposes, but it's likely that more general consumer versions will eventually become available, for better or for worse. (Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Everything is heading towards the brain-computer interface. The cellphone, the internet, and social media are only three of the technologies that have colonized expanding segments of our lives, and while they have their own respective uses, each can be considered but a stepping stone on the path to plugging our brains directly into the web.

Yes, this sounds like the stuff of dystopian sci-fi, but for several years now a growing number of organizations have been working on the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). While still at an early stages of development, these would enable us to operate connected devices simply by thought, while at the same time, some would allow for the causation to flow in the opposite direction, from the outside world into our brains.

Such a reality drew a little nearer this month, when researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Kent and Wichita State University published a study detailing how they'd developed a wireless and portable brainmachine interface (BMI), which thanks to flexible scalp electronics and a deep learning algorithm was used to control a wheelchair, a small robotic vehicle, and a computer device.

"This work reports fundamental strategies to design an ergonomic, portable EEG [electroencephalography] system for a broad range of assistive devices, smart home systems and neuro-gaming interfaces," explained study co-author Woon-Hong Yeo, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech. "The primary innovation is in the development of a fully integrated package of high-resolution EEG monitoring systems and circuits within a miniaturized skin-conformal system."

The study represents a breakthrough in numerous areas. For one, many BCI or BMI interfaces developed up until now have relied on intrusive methods for connecting brain signals with computing devices, whereas the study's interface utilizes flexible, hair-mounted electrodes that make contact with the scalp through hair, as well as using soft circuity equipped with a Bluetooth telemetry unit that can transmit signals wirelessly to devices up to 15 metres away.

On top of this, the researchers also developed neural network algorithms in order to accurately interpret the wirelessly transmitted signals, which previously were difficult to process and identify.

"Deep learning methods, commonly used to classify pictures of everyday things such as cats and dogs, are used to analyze the EEG signals, said Chee Siang (Jim) Ang, a senior lecturer at the University of Kent. Like pictures of a dog which can have a lot of variations, EEG signals have the same challenge of high variability. Deep learning methods have proven to work well with pictures, and we show that they work very well with EEG signals as well.

Put simply, commercially available BCIs that can be used by patients, disabled individuals and perhaps even the general public to control smart devices are now one step closer to becoming a reality. The thing is, it's clear that research and development won't stop with the production of rehabilitative and assistive devices, but will pursue everyday BCIs that will ultimately serve to keep us constantly connected to the internet.

Sounds too far-fetched to believe? Perhaps, but there's no doubt this is the scenario some very high profile and powerful corporations are working towards. Back in 2017, Facebook infamously announced that it had begun work on developing "brain-typing" technology, so that people could post to the social network "directly" from their cerebra, even when they're doing something else, such as speaking face-to-face with an actual friend or driving their cars.

"This isnt about decoding random thoughts. This is about decoding the words youve already decided to share by sending them to the speech center of your brain," clarified Facebook's Regina Dugan, as if hooking our speech centers directly to Facebook weren't already scary enough.

Unsurprisingly, Facebook isn't the only big name working hard to produce reliable and usable brain-computer interfaces. Another key company is Neuralink, which was launched by Elon Musk in 2016 and plans its first human test of its current BCI technology in 2020. "A monkey has been able to control a computer with his brain," revealed Musk in July, when he was live-streaming a presentation on what his brainchild (pun intended) had achieved up until then.

Much like the researchers from Georgia, Kent and Wichita, Neuralink has been developing sensors that connect to the brain and permit it to control linked devices. However, somewhat unsurprisingly for the man who also established Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has set his sights ominously high for Neuralink, with his ultimate goal being the construction of a "digital superintelligence layer" to connect humans with AI systems.

"Ultimately, we can do a full brain-machine interfaces where we can achieve a sort of symbiosis with AI," Musk also said during the same July presentation.

Needless to say, this kind of eventuality is decades away. Nonetheless, the intent and direction is clear: hook people up directly to the internet and to smart technology, and not just to permit them to control things remotely, but to influence or even control how they behave.

Of course, this is the worst-case scenario, but with startups such as Kernel, Neurable, and BrainCo also working on similar technology, it will surely be only a matter of time before at least one of them produces something that's currently better left to a Philip K. Dick or William Gibson novel.

And once they do produce a workable BCI, the sky will be the limit in terms of how they can use it for profit. People will be able to be online regardless of where they are, either helping to generate the personal data that makes money for the likes of Facebook, or purchasing the products that have made Amazon and Walmart some of the biggest companies in history. And at the same time, the possibility of being 'connected to AI' would mean that our actions will flow less from our own judgments and thoughts on what's in our best interests, and more from what data and algorithms have decided is best for us.

In other words, the insertion of technology (i.e. the corporations that produce technology) into every aspect of our lives and selves will be complete.

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Brain-Computer Interfaces And Mind Control Move One Step Closer To Becoming Reality - Forbes