BCI
Brain Computer Interfaces, it sounds like science fiction, but that’s the next big billion dollar industry coming in the next 20 or so years. But what exactly are brain computer interfaces or BCI’s for short? To understand that, we have to understand how our brain works.
The purpose of brain computer interfaces is to translate digital information into electrical signals which are fed into the users brain through some simulator. The field of brain computer interfaces relies on the brain producing waves which can be harnessed by computers to perform a certain task. This is similar to how the brain controls the body. The brain can tell the legs to jump, the body to produce sweat, etc. All of the body’s actions are controlled by neurons. These neurons transmit chemical and electrical (electrical pulses) signals to and from the brain to inform muscles, which control the body. These neurons are often interpreted by an EEG cap, a series of electrodes placed on the brain to record brain signals in the form of waves. This is known as electrocorticography which records brain activity but is invasive (placed surgically on the brain).
This opens up so many possibilities for the future, imagine brain tutoring where the teacher could just transmit knowledge from a teacher to a student. A beneficial effect is that brain-computer interfaces can be used to harness prosthetic body parts. The brain can tell the legs to jump, the body to produce sweat, etc. All of the body’s actions are controlled by neurons. Neurons transmit chemical and electrical (electrical pulses)signals to and from the brain to inform muscles, which control the body. Sensors, which sense the brain activity, followed by processors which translates these brain waves into useful commands. So, if you tell you brain you want to move your arm that will be sent to the computer which can then move one’s prosthetic harm. For society, this has lots of benefits and will continue to have benefits in the future because there are many amputated and disabled people in the world who deal with these struggles daily. Brain computer interfaces allow the user to leverage their prosthetic arm.
A harmful effect of brain computer interfaces is that some BCI’s are extremely invasive which result in higher chances of surgeries, and even glial scarring. This is a huge drawback because with this technology we want to leverage its power for communicating with items using brain waves. Many people think BCI’s can’t be hacked, but someone could get access to your thoughts, and even coerce you to doing actions through an input BCI which gives signals for the mind to perform (opposite of an output BCI, which receives signals). Brain tapping and coercion, therefore are very real and harmful issues associated with brain computer interfaces. Of course, companies are working to solve this issue. Despite the several benefits of Brain Computer Interfaces, there are some drawbacks especially in terms of data. Firstly, there is data storage, which in BCI’s is quite a big problem because once you scale up, there are lots of brain waves emitted by your brain each second, and it requires large computers to process and analyze something as complex of brain waves. Since you have a lot, you also need a larger database to store the data. Then, there is data privacy, which is perhaps the biggest data concern because no one wants their brain data shared, about their brain activity. Lastly, there is data security, which is a not a huge problem because if you obtain people’s demographic and brain waves, there is a good chance you can figure out what decisions they will make. This is not a huge problem, but usually the people who consent to trying out BCI’s often don’t want their data shared with anyone. People with pre existing conditions that affect their brain waves are not eligible for Brain Computer Interfaces, as it is not considered safe. This could mean anything from brain diseases, to people who are neurologically compromised. As of right now, there is no immediate way we can combat this, but with the time the technology is changing, getting more non invasive, and able to produce better results, so there is chance of completing getting rid of this computing bias. One of the main ethical concerns is how invasive each device Brain Computer interface is and how it is not allowed to just know about people’s brain waves.
People often argue that the brain should be the most secret part of your body, because you don’t want the whole world to learn your thoughts, and brain computer interfaces have the potential to paint a picture of what you were thinking about and make predcitions about you in the future. These ethical concerns have made it harder for BCI’s to develop and are one thing stopping Brain Computer Interfaces from becoming the next huge emerging technology.
Although this is the case for now, companies such as Elon’s Nueralink are working in this particular field, and the industry is rapidly growing so don’t be surprised if you see brain tutoring by 2035.