14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that you can run, but you can't hide from the sharp claws of the modern technology, and continuous research is about to open the doors for computers even inside your mind. The picture is frightening similar to the science-fiction apocalypse: beloved audience, the human-machine interface is here!
At the moment, there are quite a few such devices that allow direct control of technology via the brainwaves, and they are really good at it. For instance, the EPOC headset can tell the difference between its user's emotional state by analyzing brainwaves, facial muscles and other body language aspects. Researchers claim that the existing devices, although impressive, are just proofs of concept for what we will see next: mind sensors controlling home appliances and extremely intelligent computers.
Hitachi has just announced their mind-reading machine, but it is mainly used for medical and scientific purpose, rather for home entertainment. The headset uses light emitted in the near proximity of the infrared spectrum, that penetrates the skull and reflects the actual physiological processes inside, such as the supplied oxygen and glucose.
The headset is extremely useful in monitoring the recovery process of stroke victims as well as people with other brain injuries, or just as a research tool to examine early language-recognition skills in babies. The machinery is made of a cap that connects via optical fibers to a mapping device attached to the computer. "We are thinking of various kinds of applications," project leader Hideaki Koizumi said. "Locked-in patients can speak to other people by using this kind of brain machine interface."
The Hitachi researchers demonstrated the machine by linking it to an electric toy-train, that would start when one of the subjects performed simple arithmetic operations. The process is in its early stage, but the company is working on tweaking the interface to more accurately pick up on the correct signals while ignoring background brain activity.