A brain–computer interface (BCI), often called a mind-machine interface (MMI), or a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface (BMI), is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. BCIs are often used to assist, augment or repair human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.
The field of BCI research and development is focused primarily on neuroprosthetic applications that aim at restoring damaged hearing, sight and movement. Due to the brain’s ability to develop and adapt (cortical plasticity), signals from implanted prostheses can, after adaptation, be handled by the brain like natural sensor. Following years of animal experimentation, the first neuroprosthetic devices implanted in humans appeared in the mid-1990s.
However, the difference between BCIs and neuroprosthetics is that the latter typically connect the nervous system to a device, whereas BCIs usually connect the brain with a computer system.
Invasive BCIs – Invasive BCI research has targeted repairing damaged sight and to restore movement in individuals with paralysis or provide devices to assist them. Invasive BCIs are implanted directly into the grey matter of the brain during neurosurgery. Hence, 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.
Partially invasive BCIs – Partially invasive BCI devices are implanted inside the skull but rest outside 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.
Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a partially invasive procedure, which measures the electrical activity of the brain taken from beneath the skull in a similar way to non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG), but the electrodes are embedded in a thin plastic pad that is placed above the cortex, beneath the dura mater. ECoG has higher spatial resolution, better signal-to-noise ratio, wider frequency range, and less training requirements than scalp-recorded EEG.
Non-invasive BCIs – Signals recorded in a non-invasive way have been used to power muscle implants and restore partial movement in experimental volunteers. 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.
Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are the popular non-invasive interfaces.
Also, currently, there is a new field of gaming called Neurogaming, which uses non-invasive BCI in order to improve game-play so that users can interact with a console without the use of a traditional joystick.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-computer_interface
The field of BCI research and development is focused primarily on neuroprosthetic applications that aim at restoring damaged hearing, sight and movement. Due to the brain’s ability to develop and adapt (cortical plasticity), signals from implanted prostheses can, after adaptation, be handled by the brain like natural sensor. Following years of animal experimentation, the first neuroprosthetic devices implanted in humans appeared in the mid-1990s.
However, the difference between BCIs and neuroprosthetics is that the latter typically connect the nervous system to a device, whereas BCIs usually connect the brain with a computer system.
Invasive BCIs – Invasive BCI research has targeted repairing damaged sight and to restore movement in individuals with paralysis or provide devices to assist them. Invasive BCIs are implanted directly into the grey matter of the brain during neurosurgery. Hence, 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.
Partially invasive BCIs – Partially invasive BCI devices are implanted inside the skull but rest outside 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.
Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a partially invasive procedure, which measures the electrical activity of the brain taken from beneath the skull in a similar way to non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG), but the electrodes are embedded in a thin plastic pad that is placed above the cortex, beneath the dura mater. ECoG has higher spatial resolution, better signal-to-noise ratio, wider frequency range, and less training requirements than scalp-recorded EEG.
Non-invasive BCIs – Signals recorded in a non-invasive way have been used to power muscle implants and restore partial movement in experimental volunteers. 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.
Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are the popular non-invasive interfaces.
Also, currently, there is a new field of gaming called Neurogaming, which uses non-invasive BCI in order to improve game-play so that users can interact with a console without the use of a traditional joystick.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-computer_interface
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