Brain Computer Interface (BCI): What We’re Not Ready For

“Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull.”

That quote is from George’s Orwell novel, 1984. The statement is intended to illustrate how the characters live in a totalitarian surveillance state but positively looked at it another way, it reveals how lucky they are: at least their brains are still private…

Abstract

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are now instruments of serious scientific inquiry, originally a concept from science fiction. In the medical sector and in the market, these instruments have a great deal of promise. However, the effects can be extremely dangerous if BCI technology is used recklessly. Therefore, society needs to consider the effects of BCI to use it without jeopardizing its health and safety of its users.

Background

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a system that relays data between the human brain and computers. By interpreting neural activity, converting it into electrical data, and transmitting the electrical data to a computer or the internet, a BCI operates. A BCI may also function by capturing visual or auditory input from the outside world, and then stimulating particular areas of the brain with electrical signals. There are countless types of BCIs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), for example, are examples of BCI since both of these instruments use magnetic fields to capture brain activity (neural function). Another type of BCI is electroencephalography (EEG). To detect electrical activity, which means brain waves, EEG uses electrodes on the scalp of the head. An Emotiv Insight Headset is an instance of this. Electrocorticography (EC0G), which is similar to EEG except that ECoG uses electrodes placed within the skull, is another example of a BCI. Finally, other BCI examples include co-prothetic prosthetics connected to electrodes or neural chips.

This technology will play a critical role in identifying and treating neurological conditions, as many BCIs assess neuronal activity.

Medical Uses

The opportunity to improve the lives of people with strokes is one indication of the potential of BCI in medicine. In one study, scientists used a home-designed BCI-controlled prosthesis to enhance motor function in patients who had previously had a stroke. This was achieved by the BCI to monitor the limb on the same side using the “contralesional hemisphere” or the unharmed side of the brain. One side of the brain is affected during a stroke and loses certain functions. Patients with stroke also suffer from motor dysfunction in the limbs opposite the affected brain hemisphere, since each hemisphere in the brain regulates its opposite limbs. To regulate their entire body, BCI helps them to use the healthier half of their brain. BCI is also beneficial for patients with stroke since it offers a wii instrument which these people can better recover.

BCI has assisted individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A type of BCI called functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used in the scientific paper’ Interface-Based Communication in the Fully Locked-In State’ to provide a way for ALS patients to communicate with their muscles. FNIRS is capable of detecting oxygen shifts in the brains of patients with ALS, enabling it to determine ALS patients’ responses to simple questions. For ALS patients, this potential is extremely useful because they frequently lose full motor control and their ability to communicate. ALS patients can cope with their condition with this technology and interact with loved ones and with the external world.

For paralyzed people, BCI has been highly important. To give Matthew Nagle, a quadriplegic, the opportunity to play ping pong and draw a circle, a brand called’ BrainGate’ was used. This is a big step towards granting the opportunity to work normally again to quadriplegics. BCI was able to recover the motor function in his hands partially, enabling Matthew to play ping pong when no other motor function was available for other options for him to gain motor function. BCI detects electrical signals from his brain in the case of Matthew and sends them to a computer, which then relays signals to his hands in order to regain his motor skills partially.

There is tremendous potential for BCI to treat opioid addictions. (EEG) by receiving neurofeedback was able to help one patient with addictions to multiple medications conquer his addictions. EEG data has been used to help people see the effect of addiction on their brain, helping them to self-regulate themselves. Because this decreases their dependence, this is helpful for addiction patients. Moreover, this helps many patients with opioid abuse to control themselves mentally and physically, thereby helping them to enjoy a higher quality of life.

Finally, BCI has been useful for people with sensory disorders as well. By improving their vision, Argus II, a form of BCI, may benefit individuals with retinitis pigmentosa. The Argus II takes on the part of “light sensing cells” which have been impaired by retinitis pigmentosa. Second, this prosthesis collects visual data from the outside world and converts that data into electrical data. Then, the prosthesis passes the data into the eyes of the patient. In spite of the damage to some of their photoreceptors, the patient will therefore see. BCI is thus able to greatly increase the quality of life of the patient.

Consumer Uses

For industrial purposes, BCI is often used. BCI, for instance, is used to play games which measure concentration. To assess focus levels, it is capable of doing this by detecting brain waves. BCI has been able to make games more enjoyable by using brain activity to adapt games to the player by presenting people’s possible thoughts on games. In fact, BCI has been used to play the sound that refers to one’s unconscious thoughts. In this way, BCI could present a novel way of discovering new music, and eventually, films and other media.

Recently, the a major video game, Valve, CEO just said he believes mind-reading technology is the great evolution of gaming. They also announced they are working on brain computer-interface software with headset as a controller to the game. Isn’t that crazy?! So many industries are starting to build and use BCIs for their own benefit.

Potential Consequences

Although BCI can offer enormous benefits, it also can have negative consequences. For example, BCI is able to record brain activity of patients without properly securing the data. Hence, it could provide unauthorized access to people’s medical records, which would pose a great threat in the wrong hands. For instance, BCI captures a wealth of private information from people. If this data were to be improperly secured, hackers could obtain the brain activity, and use it for fraudulent purposes. In addition, advertisers could use the information captured by a BCI to show advertisements that are tailored to patients’ thoughts.

Another disadvantage of BCI is how it could be abused to give people unfair advantages. For example, athletes with a BCI could potentially perform better than athletes without a BCI due to BCI’s ability to improve motor function. In addition, BCI could allow people to gain unnatural physical strengths to circumvent law and order. For example, one could gain access to a restricted area by climbing over physical fences that are considered protective barriers. These capabilities could lead to people with supernatural abilities.

In addition, one must consider the various health issues BCI could cause. For example, ECoG has been known to cause infection and hemorrhages. ECoG requires patients to undergo surgery in which surgeons must penetrate the skull and place the ECoG on top of their brain, which can cause side effects like infection and hemorrhages. The blood-brain barrier makes it difficult to successfully treat infections in the brain since the blood-brain barrier prevents many drugs from entering the brain.

Now there’s a new era coming up, where our brain needs rights…

Neurocapitalism

These past few months, Facebook and Neuralink announced they’re building tech device to read our minds & translate them into words, control other devices, and cure neurological conditions. There’s a lot of other companies building tech for ethical purposes. This all sounds like science fiction, but this has already begun and changed people’s lives.

How can this be happening — our final privacy frontier, your brain, would sooner or later no longer be private.

So many neuroethicists are arguing the potential misuse with this technology and are agreeing to revamp human right laws to protect all of us. Several countries are already handling neurights. Many are already agreeing with these 4 new rights to be enriched in law…

1. Righ to cognitive liberty: Have the right to freely decide you want to use a given neurotechnology or to refuse it.
2. Right to mental privacy: Have the right to seclude your brain data or to publicly share it.
3. Right to mental integrity: Have the right not to be harmed physically or psychologically by neurotechnology.
4. Right to psychological continuity: Have the right to be protected from alterations to your sense of self that you did not authorize.

However with all the horror in neurocapitalism, it is recognized by lawmakers that the neurotechnologies should be taken out of public companies into being public good.

The Future

BCI may have many applications in the near future. For example, for brain to brain communication, BCI could be used. This will encourage humans to connect in new and deeper ways with each other than ever before. In addition, better communication between the brain and the brain would make it possible for humans not to rely on language and thus enable faster communication between humans. People with serious brain injuries, for instance, may interact with their feelings with their family and friends.

In the future, the BCI could also lead to more privacy problems. BCI, for instance, may lead to controversy as there could be legal concerns over who controls the BCI data collected.

Medical organizations, for example, may choose to use BCI data for study, while their data may be controlled by individuals and their families. Furthermore, individuals accused of crimes may blame their acts on BCIs.

Conclusion

An appreciation of both the benefits of BCI and its drawbacks becomes clear after carefully analyzing possible applications of BCI. Therefore, in order to decide how BCI can be used to support as many people as possible without compromising the rights, freedoms, and wellbeing of patients, it is necessary for society as a whole to better understand the benefits and adverse effects of BCI. We’re rapidly starting a new era in neurotechnology and concerns are rising. It is difficult to tell if the neurorights can effectively monitor the risks of neurotechnology. But with the rapid growth of this technology, it seems likely that we will need new legislation to protect us, and now is the time for experts to express our rights. Lawmakers are moving slowly, and if we wait to reach the market with devices such as Facebook or Neuralink, it might already be too late.

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