It sounds surreal and fantasy-like, but, to your surprise, mind-reading using machines is possible. To take things even further, we currently use this technology. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) capture neural activity using hundreds of electrodes in the brain and then analyze them to create meaningful outputs. BCIs have been used to help people who have lost essential parts of their human features, such as being paralyzed or losing a limb. Additionally, they have been experimented with to make tasks like typing faster. Researchers used this technology to gather critical information on how the brain works, which contradicts our current knowledge.
The idea that neurological movement may be examined and recorded was first backed up 100 years ago. When a brain tumor surgery left a hole in a 17-year-old boy’s skull, German psychiatrist Hans Berger attached electrodes on top of the hole. He recorded above the opening and was the first to find brain oscillations, which he named EEG. Scientists were quick to realize that only a hole had limitations and decided to record from inside the brain by placing electrodes on the brain cortex. This is still a standard method for epilepsy recognition and surgical treatment. A few years later, in the 1970s, researchers started using signals from animal brains to control external machines. Then, in 2004, Matt Nagle, who was paralyzed after a spinal injury, became the first person to have a long-term BCI implanted. The BCI system used Matt’s primary motor cortex and translated the readings to computer outputs. This allowed him to use his prosthetic arm for opening, closing, movement, and other basic actions. Since then, new heights in AI, software, and hardware have made BCIs much more precise, and including Matt, a total of 50 people have gotten BCIs integrated into them.
An important detail that researchers have realized from the EEG readings is about the boundaries of the brain. School taught us that the brain has clearly defined areas that do specific tasks, though the EEG reading says otherwise. The borders turn out to be fuzzy, not hard lines. For example, it was thought that Broca’s area had a role in speech production and articulation; however, it has little to no information on words, facial movements, or units of sound.
Scientists have also used BCIs to understand how the brain thinks and imagines. Christian Herff, a computational neuroscientist, and his team developed a BCI capable of creating speech whenever the patient whispered or even imagined speaking without moving their lips. The signals recorded were both like spoken speech, though not the same. This shows promise for allowing mute people to freely speak. A similar finding comes from a 30-year-old man who had paralyzed his hand. Readings show that the map of his hand was still preserved in his brain, and motor units were activated when he tried to move his hand even though it did not move.
To sum up, BCIs are proven to be very powerful and will likely help disabled people drastically. It will remove cruel circumstances from the unfortunate and help people get their original lives back. There are still many implications of this technology to be researched, and it will hopefully cure those without options today.
