Brain intrusion has become a hot topic in the tech industry in recent years, with ambitious plans by two neuroscientists, Elon Musk from Neuralink and Bryan Johnson from Kernel, Using computational techniques and artificial intelligence to enhance human brain function.
However, the development in this area has also caused a great deal of concern among scientists who fear that further advances in brain-machine technology may further aggravate social inequalities and at the same time 'profoundly change' the core elements of human experience.
The integration of the human brain and the machine will bring benefits and opportunities in many different lifestyles, as well as risks.
Let's look at the eight industries where brain intrusion (or brain computing, brain technology, or neuro-technology) will change first and the potential threats to that emerging technology: games, education, marketing Science, Healthcare / Neurology, Mental Health Management, Sports Science, Media / Entertainment and Defense.
game
The gigantic game industry is at the forefront of the development of virtual reality (VR), and today businesses are realizing the opportunity to create a hands-free 'brain game' that combines neural technology and a new gaming platform.
At Siggraph, the top computer graphics event in August of this year, Neurable demonstrated its prototype for a brain-controlled VR video game called The Awakening, which itself characterizes a character In order to escape government labs, the character must use 'readiness' to pick up different toys and throw them out.
The game system uses a headband attached to the HTC Vive Virtual Reality helmet: the electrode-mounted headband receives an EEG signal called 'event-related potential' (ERP), which is a response to an instruction in the VR environment or Activity generated. Then, the system uses those signals to guide the progress of the game.
From the demo video, the game system's first training was to respond to a unique brain signal generated by the headband wearer in thinking of a particular toy.
As brain technology evolves, 'readability' is expected to be used in game environments to do more of selecting and throwing toys - eventually replacing many of the activities that are done today with handheld controllers.
education
Brain technology will also change the way we learn about the brain and nervous system in an academic environment, and in the future, biology classes may allow students to learn about the functioning of the brain by observing real-time visual representations of the response of brain neurons to stimuli.
To understand the brain, students may even want to see real-time visual representations of their brains.
That's a possible future for brainstorming startup BrainCo, which hopes to help schools 'optimize student engagement' and develop better pedagogies based on brain signal data. BrainCo's Focus 1 BMI helmet reads from outside the skull The brain signals from the sensors on the headband (just like Neurable's brain-controlled VR games).
BrainCo's headband measures EEG brain activity related to student attention and level of involvement in a learning environment The information collected by a BrainCo device is ultimately used by schools to design strategies to improve teacher or student performance.
The original intention of BrainCo founder was to improve education in China, and BrainCo said building 'Brain Wave Database' can help schools quantify students' classroom input.
Marketing Science
Measuring and analyzing our neural signals (using tools like BrainCo's Attention Feedback interface) will help transform brain data into business intelligence.
On the one hand, powerful brain computing systems are expected to eliminate market research and focus group studies that have obvious flaws, and often hide their preferences or intentions in market surveys, focus groups or sales scenarios - for example, trying out tasting free Wine samples, pretend to want to buy.
With brain analytics technology, market heroes will no longer have to rely on verbal feedback, and instead they can 'see' what kind of response your brain has when you drink red wine in focus groups tasting wine. With data linked to something like a loyalty card, brands and stores can greatly enhance their ability to see the link between your preferences and your actual spending activity.
On this basis, marketers make the right choice for individualized sales and marketing strategies - directing you to the red wine brand that gives you more joyful neurons.
Healthcare / Neurology
As demonstrated by the previous examples, EEG and ERP data have been able to provide a wealth of commercially valuable brain information from sensors outside the head.
But in healthcare, technology tends to go straight to the brain, helping to solve the devastating effects of neurological diseases.
Problems such as stroke and paralysis can limit or disarm patients' ability to walk autonomously, and researchers resume mobility and ability to walk independently in patients who continually explore brain technology to help them.
For example, scientists were able to acquire and decode EEG signals after implantation of silicon microchip into the motor cortex of patients with paralysis or stroke-related injuries that could then drive the prosthesis, wheelchair, or even keyboard operation - prompting the patient to enter 'Their idea.
Brain technology will also help increase the speed and accuracy of diagnostics Once the more advanced microchips are able to interact directly with the human nervous system daily - not just in the research lab - Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and others Signs of neurological diseases can be detected earlier by the device equipped with the sensor.
Mental health treatment
The impact of the brain on human health extends from cognitive and mobility capabilities to mental and mental health as physicians have hundreds of years of treatment for mental illness and mental health problems by changing the circuit of the patient's brain, , Electric shock therapy and more.
Of course, as we have a greater and better understanding of the human nervous system, those once-popular treatments are no longer favored.
However, we still have a long way to go to understand the human brain.Clinical research on the brain is not easy, so how do 86 million neurons interact with the brain, and what do each other have about our mental health? Affect our medical system is still a lack of comprehensive understanding.
Better brain computing technology will change - and greatly enhance - our ability to understand mental disorders and their causes at the neural level.
Once we have implanted a better brain-computing microchip in the cerebral cortex, which collects and processes more comprehensive brain data, the only information that can now be obtained through brain scans will automatically appear to us, which will help Improve the diagnostic accuracy and detection validity of mental disorders, but also help to develop more effective directional mental health treatment.
How awakening centers (anterior cingulate cortex) in the brains of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder are visually controlled by "forcibly controlled"
Sports Science
At least one of the most well-known sports-related injuries can be altered by brain technology - hopefully setting a model for more widespread diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury.
It is well-known that traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a type of rugby player that can be very painful to athletes, especially concussions. CTE can cause serious emotional and behavioral disturbances: Symptoms often include large mood swings and lack of judgment As well as the difficulty of controlling aggressiveness or impulses (which are difficult to attribute to CTE if you do not see the brain's internal conditions).
With regard to the risk factors, causes and consequences of traumatic brain injury, there is a wide variety of questions as to whether injuries are more likely to occur to athletes of a certain age group. Is it more prone to CTE for athletes in a particular location?
Brain Invasion Helps to Solve Those Problems: Once the brain of NFL players (or other athletes) is 'implanted with chips' for long-term research, the sports community will be able to better understand CTE As well as many other risks and causes of injury.
With that knowledge, you can develop and pursue better risk alertness and prevention programs - the helmet that connects your brain is just the beginning.
UCLA used brain imaging to conduct CTE studies of former NFL players
Media / Entertainment
In the field of entertainment, brain-based research is already under way.
For example, neuroscientists from Northwestern University recently explored the brain response of people watching movie trailers and then used those numbers to predict box office performance after the release of the movie.
The study was designed to test a business-value hypothesis about the movie-trailer's ability to elicit similar neurological reactions among viewers: By having 122 study participants wear helmets to monitor brain waves, scientists were able to gain insight into what the movie trailer was at a larger Proportions of people cause similar patterns of brain activity.
Results of the study showed that films with higher trackers' similar index of neurotic activity were higher at the box office on the premiere weekend, as well as trailers with higher neuroimaging indices of similar index, from follow-up interviews with study participants A deeper impression.
With the continuous development of neural technology, this research application is expected to come in handy in the early stage of content creation.
For example, the research methods employed by Northwestern researchers can also be used to observe the overall variability of the audience's input into the cinema (and even the written script), with which the film and television producers can modify the plot elements Or role to better cater to the tastes of the audience.
national defense
Invasion of the brain also has an impact on the battlefield, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has funded several different neurotechnology projects through its NESD program.
The goal of the NESD program is to develop 'a lightweight neural interface system that enables precise communication between the brain and the digital world' - essentially a grand goal with Neuralink from Eron Musk and Kyle from Brian Johnson .
DARPA also has other brain technology projects, one of which seeks to use implantable microchip to improve the memory of soldiers suffering from brain injury and the other to use neural data to control robotic prostheses. 'Peripheral nerve stimulation' to enhance the learning process.
For this neurostimulation study, the goal of the U.S. Department of Defense is to train soldiers more quickly and effectively by strengthening 'synaptic plasticity': by stimulating specific peripheral nerves - noninvasively through the skin - that seeks to highly stimulate the brain In the study area.
Most of these research projects are still in their infancy or exploration phase, but the sheer number of these projects - and the government's massive financial support - have led some to worry about the emergence of 'super soldiers' that lead to cognitive enhancement, Or our future super soldiers may be invaded by the brain.
Potential threat
As brain invasive technologies advance, scientists are also beginning to talk about threats, risks and ethical issues posed by neuro-technical and artificial intelligence.
In an article recently published in Nature, the experts pointed out that 'the Internet-connected neural device opens the possibility for individuals or organizations (hackers, businesses, or government agencies) to track or even control one's mental experience Sexuality.
For example, in an effort to promote the development of neurotechnology, the Department of Defense will need to look at ways to minimize network-related issues as much as possible Threats.
The future super-intelligent super warrior may become the best safeguard against the threat of the enemy and may also become the biggest hidden danger of national security ... or both at the same time.