There are new cutting edge brain sensor and management technologies, like the astrocyte stimulators and neurograins, and then there are brain computer interfaces (BCIs) that you can buy online. People are overcoming severe disabilities with BCIs and the military may use them for multiple functions. In short, brain-reading equipment is already here and finding new uses.
Implementation of BCIs was attempted as early as 1973, when a Dr. Vidal published his study of an EEG based system. The industry publication Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience notes that recent research application of BCI technology has involved such diverse applications as brain fingerprinting for lie detection, detecting drowsiness for improving human working performances, estimating reaction time, controlling virtual reality, quadcopters, and video games, and driving drones and humanoid robots.
The cutting edge of brainspray capture moves out further every year. For example, last summer, Brown University announced a new concept for future BCI systems. Rather than strap a few sensors to the scalp, the team employs “a coordinated network of independent, wireless microscale neural sensors, each about the size of a grain of salt, to record and stimulate brain activity. The sensors, dubbed “neurograins,” independently record the electrical pulses made by firing neurons and send the signals wirelessly to a central hub, which coordinates and processes the signals.” The neurograins are low-energy-consuming, tiny computer chips with wireless signaling capabilities that the Brown team was able to use for both recording neural signals from a living brain and stimulating the brain in hopes of being able to restore brain function. According to Wired, “The ability to record from many more neurons could enable much finer motor control and expand what’s currently possible with brain-controlled devices. Researchers could also use them in animals to learn how different brain regions speak to each other.” The scientists will now work on making the “grains” even smaller and less intrusive.
Scientists at University College London have found a way to affect specific brain functions through magnetism, using a specialized brain cell called an astrocyte. These star-shaped astrocytes outnumber neurons in our brains 5 to 1, and can interact with more than a million brain synapses at a time. The researchers injected micromagnets directly into rat brains and guided the magnets to sit directly on the surface of astrocytes. They then used an external magnet to trigger mechanical stimulation of astrocyte cell activity. According to The Daily Beast, “As a result, the micromagnet-laden astrocytes essentially activate the part of the brain where they are located. For example, if switched on in the part of the brain that regulates blood pressure (called the brainstem), the result is an increase in blood pressure, which is exactly what [the research] team observed. . . . this is a completely non-invasive way to modify brain function.” If the researchers can find a way to insert the tiny magnets with higher precision and find materials to allow the magnets to melt away into the body after use, then they may have found a new method to control brain activity from outside the body. Dissolvable brain sensors have already been developed at the University of Illinois. The developers use a watertight polymer that gradually erodes over a few days.
Cutting edge research shows us the depth of brain reading technology, while consumer products demonstrate its breadth. Non-invasive neural readers are available on the market for all kinds of applications. I have previously explored brain interfaces explored by Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and others, but today’s market is filled with BCIs from smaller companies.