Fonte: Science DailyScienceDaily (Oct. 6, 2009) — New research from the University of Southampton has demonstrated that it is possible for communication from person to person through the power of thought -- with the help of electrodes, a computer and Internet connection.
Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI) can be used for capturing brain signals and translating them into commands that allow humans to control (just by thinking) devices such as computers, robots, rehabilitation technology and virtual reality environments.
This experiment goes a step further and was conducted by Dr Christopher James from the University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. The aim was to expand the current limits of this technology and show that brain-to-brain (B2B) communication is possible.
Dr James comments: "Whilst BCI is no longer a new thing and person to person communication via the nervous system was shown previously in work by Professor Kevin Warwick from the University of Reading, here we show, for the first time, true brain to brain interfacing. We have yet to grasp the full implications of this but there are various scenarios where B2B could be of benefit such as helping people with severe debilitating muscle wasting diseases, or with the so-called 'locked-in' syndrome, to communicate and it also has applications for gaming."
His experiment had one person using BCI to transmit thoughts, translated as a series of binary digits, over the internet to another person whose computer receives the digits and transmits them to the second user's brain through flashing an LED lamp.
While attached to an EEG amplifier, the first person would generate and transmit a series of binary digits, imagining moving their left arm for zero and their right arm for one. The second person was also attached to an EEG amplifier and their PC would pick up the stream of binary digits and flash an LED lamp at two different frequencies, one for zero and the other one for one. The pattern of the flashing LEDs is too subtle to be picked by the second person, but it is picked up by electrodes measuring the visual cortex of the recipient.
The encoded information is then extracted from the brain activity of the second user and the PC can decipher whether a zero or a one was transmitted. This shows true brain-to-brain activity.
You can watch Dr James' BCI experiment at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93p7oDkA5WA&feature=email
Dr James is part of the University of Southampton's Brain-Computer Interfacing Research Programme, which brings together biomedical engineering and the clinical sciences and provides a cohesive scientific basis for rehabilitation research and management. Projects are driven by clinical problems, using cutting-edge signal processing research to produce an investigative tool for advancing knowledge of neurophysiological mechanisms, as well as providing a practical therapeutic system to be used outside a specialised BCI laboratory.
Dr James also appeared on BBC2's 'James May's Big Ideas' last year, talking about thought controlled wheelchairs and introducing the field of BCI. You can view the segment here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyrd0uOuyms&feature=related
Adapted from materials provided by University of Southampton, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
This experiment goes a step further and was conducted by Dr Christopher James from the University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. The aim was to expand the current limits of this technology and show that brain-to-brain (B2B) communication is possible.
Dr James comments: "Whilst BCI is no longer a new thing and person to person communication via the nervous system was shown previously in work by Professor Kevin Warwick from the University of Reading, here we show, for the first time, true brain to brain interfacing. We have yet to grasp the full implications of this but there are various scenarios where B2B could be of benefit such as helping people with severe debilitating muscle wasting diseases, or with the so-called 'locked-in' syndrome, to communicate and it also has applications for gaming."
His experiment had one person using BCI to transmit thoughts, translated as a series of binary digits, over the internet to another person whose computer receives the digits and transmits them to the second user's brain through flashing an LED lamp.
While attached to an EEG amplifier, the first person would generate and transmit a series of binary digits, imagining moving their left arm for zero and their right arm for one. The second person was also attached to an EEG amplifier and their PC would pick up the stream of binary digits and flash an LED lamp at two different frequencies, one for zero and the other one for one. The pattern of the flashing LEDs is too subtle to be picked by the second person, but it is picked up by electrodes measuring the visual cortex of the recipient.
The encoded information is then extracted from the brain activity of the second user and the PC can decipher whether a zero or a one was transmitted. This shows true brain-to-brain activity.
You can watch Dr James' BCI experiment at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93p7oDkA5WA&feature=email
Dr James is part of the University of Southampton's Brain-Computer Interfacing Research Programme, which brings together biomedical engineering and the clinical sciences and provides a cohesive scientific basis for rehabilitation research and management. Projects are driven by clinical problems, using cutting-edge signal processing research to produce an investigative tool for advancing knowledge of neurophysiological mechanisms, as well as providing a practical therapeutic system to be used outside a specialised BCI laboratory.
Dr James also appeared on BBC2's 'James May's Big Ideas' last year, talking about thought controlled wheelchairs and introducing the field of BCI. You can view the segment here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyrd0uOuyms&feature=related
Adapted from materials provided by University of Southampton, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
1 commento:
Gli americani tendono sempre ad ingrandire le cose.
Da quello che ho letto, con questo sistema si recepiscono dal pensiero determinati segnali, ma mi pare che sia la scoperta dell'acqua calda perchè già con la macchina della verità si recepivano determinate onde, che il cervello (che possiamo paragonare ad un computer) traduceva in un certo modo.
Cioè questo sistema, intendo dire, recepisce determinate onde e tenta di tradurle secondo uno schema prestabilito.
Ma se tu pensi ad un topo, io penso sia ben lontano dal recepire l'immagine del topo, e tanto più se uno come Einstein ha l'intuizione della formula della Relatività Ristretta, io penso proprio che non venga fuori da nessun computer per quanti elettrodi ci mettiamo sul cervello.
Io penso che siamo ancora ben lontani dalla possibilità di far venir fuori i pensieri tali e quali, perchè i pensieri così come i sogni hanno una struttura che sfugge e sappiamo ancora ben poco.
Forse ci arriveremo un tempo ma per approssimazioni molto ampie, o forse non ci arriveremo mai.
E si che l'estasi, il pensiero critico ed intuitivo, l'immaginazione magari che si proietta verso il futuro e pure il senso religioso e mitologico sono delle forze, come qualsiasi altra forza universale, ma che non appartengono più ai circuiti ed alle reazioni biochimiche cerebrali, ma sono a se indipendenti ed utilizzano il cervello solo come mezzo, come piattaforma per agganciarsi con la realtà.
Il pensiero semplice, ad esempio quello del cibo, è prettamente cerebrale, ma non credo possa essere decifrato tanto facilmente pure con apparecchiature complesse.
In sintesi io credo che il pensiero strutturalmente faccia parte delle strutture complesse e che per complessità tendono all'infinito.
Basti tener presente le centinaia di miliardi di neuroni, moltiplicando questi per le connessioni sinaptiche.
Avevo scritto tempo indietro "Il sogno e la fisica quantistica"
Lo trovi su facebook premento sulla mia immagine ed andando a vedere su note.
Ovviamente non essendo un esperto penso di aver detto un cumulo di stupidaggini.
Comunque resto convinto che il sogno resti ascrivibile alla fisica quantistica, soprattutto per la sua struttura che è tipicamente acausale.
Fausto non spaventarti se ho detto stupidaggini, in futuro cercherò di stare zitto.
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