From this episode:
Brain Computer Interface Operating System | Human-centric BCI | Upward Arrow Podcast 3
Full transcript:
This editable transcript was computer generated and might contain errors.
Welcome back to Upward Arrow. I’m Seth Brown the Creator at Upward Arrow where we believe technology should be beautiful, natural and sustainable.
In this episode we’re going to talk about the honest truth. We’re also going to talk about a fork in the road that gives us pause for consideration as well as some incredible news in neuroscience development. A man, a paralyzed man who’s been able to walk again, thanks to BCI devices. And, we’ve got some positive environmental news so be sure to listen through so you can catch some of that exciting news. Now let’s get right to it.
The honest truth
So, for the honest truth, For quite some time. I’ve been working, nearly in isolation. I’ve been fortunate to have a number of collaborators help me over the years to get to the point where I’m at now. I’ve always envisioned a different type of brain computer interface. Something that is more comfortable, more easily worn and I pursued a brain computer interface based around the neck for some time.
I’m really excited to have achieved the prototype where we’re at right now after so many years people saying that dry electrodes weren’t possible. Or that there weren’t EEG signals in the neck. Of course, there are yes, there’s EMG signals there as well, and there’s noise if you want to look at it that way. Or you can see that noise as a signal which we’ve talked about before. I’m really excited to have gotten to the point where now I can take this device and place it around my neck, just like this very comfortably. And continue to host the podcast right now.
For those of you listening in that aren’t seeing this on video, what I’m wearing is an elastic band, around my neck. Connected to that elastic band are some dry EEG / EMG sensors. And there’s a snap in the back that makes it really easy to take on and off. And as you can see, the sensors are positioned around my neck. Some co-location near the laryngeal muscles for particular reasons, as we’re exploring different sensor locations. And this is the basic prototype. I’m so excited to have achieved even this much. For many years it was a struggle when people didn’t even think that dry electrodes were a possibility,
So the honest truth as I said, is this is something I’ve been working on. Mostly in isolation, I’ve been fortunate to have some collaborators over the years. The reason why I mentioned that is brain, computer interfaces are really taking off right now and it would be exceptional to have more people join this journey that I’m on. I truly want to create a brain computer interface that is beautiful, natural and sustainable.
Wearable technology offers us the opportunity to create truly sustainable technology. The circuits involved in EEG and bio signal detection are pretty simple compared to other electronic devices. And as long as we pay attention to repairability and the recycling programs, we’ve got a great opportunity to make BCI and wearables the first sustainable technology. So that’s a big driving force. And if you go back and listen to the first episode, that’s actually what got me involved in this in the first place. If you are interested in joining, I would love for you to send us an email and let us know how you’d like to contribute: info —AT— upwardarrow.com. We’re looking for people who want to contribute in any way and certainly we’re excited to hear what you have to offer.
So we’re trying something a little bit newer this week, this is actually being recorded and transcribed at the same time and we’re recording in a different location which I hope reduces the reverb in the first two episodes. Thanks for tuning in and let’s get on to the next subject, which is a fork in the road.
A fork in the road
So as I mentioned, I’ve been working mostly in isolation for many years to develop a new type of brain computer interface from the hardware perspective and to develop a brain computer interface necklace, which I believe is ultimately what’s going to lead to the mass adoption of brain computer interfaces or if you want to call them biosignal devices. I think we sometimes get too limited in our definitions. And we also have to remember that EMG carries a lot of relevant information, along with EEG. There’s different signals and different voltages. They’re all providing information from the body that we can use to make our interaction with technology more natural. So, the fork in the road.
Looking around right now, there are sundry brain computer interface devices. There’s quite a lot and all of these companies are working really hard to make brain computer interfaces more accessible. In some cases more affordable in some cases more usable and there’s a lot of these different silos of these brain computer interface companies. All these interfaces are somewhat limited in terms of being siloed, within their apps, Also siloed within the specific use cases that the manufacturer envisioned.
So, the fork in the road that I’m considering presently is whether it is more sensible to pursue a software approach to bringing brain computer interfaces to market. And as much as I believe in the BCI necklace, to set that aside, now to pursue the software, the software will necessarily need to come and certainly would need to come along with the necklace and so I wonder whether it’s better to simply pursue the software first. Now with all these devices already out in the world and begin to provide people a more natural way of interacting with technology through the devices that they already own. Now, some of this will depend upon whether or not each brain computer interface device offers raw data that we could tap into and use in a unified platform.
However, it certainly an interesting possibility and the idea of a brain computer interface operating system or an operating system for wearables, or platform for biosignal sensing, all of these possibilities seem like something that is certainly going to come to fruition. And I wonder if that should be our primary objective to start. The modes and modalities and behaviors, and also, the detection and filtering of data that will be required for brain computer interfaces to be adopted, are much different than the types of computing that we’re doing now.
On the data collection side we’re certainly getting closer to that with the types of signals that we acquire from different sources. However, when we consider the side of the interaction that we currently have with our computing,, it’s a lot different than how we might envision a brain computer interface behaving. So with that in mind, perhaps it’s better to start to pursue these different modes of behavior and these novel ways of interacting, while using the existing hardware that’s available from other manufacturers and has already passed FCC and similar requirements in the various markets, where they’re sold.
To sum up, perhaps right now, our objective should be more like a Microsoft, where we’re building software for other hardware platforms. Rather than an Apple where we are building both the software and the hardware. Ultimately, I believe the approach of Apple is the best way to go. When introducing new technology, the software and the hardware need to be tightly integrated to provide a truly human-centric experience. That being said, with all the limitations on current BCI devices, it seems like a great opportunity to unlock some of those possibilities for people all around the world who already own these devices, without requiring them to purchase a new piece of hardware.
Something to consider. And as I mentioned, it’s a fork in the road. So here we are. And in some ways, it’s not so much of a fork. As I mentioned, we’ll need to develop – and as we’re working on the data processing – a software to go along with the hardware of the BCI necklace moving forward. But perhaps at some point we put more emphasis, so maybe it’s not a fork so much as shifting into a different lane on the road and pressing the accelerator there.
So that’s the fork in the road. And now on to this exciting news in brain computer interface development, this has been done by a University by the name of EPFL, which is located in Switzerland. And a gentleman by the name – Hope I’m getting this correctly – Gregoire Courtine, who has been working for some time at finding novel ways of helping people who are paralyzed to walk again.
This gentleman who has been enabled to walk again is 40 years old and suffered a traumatic cycling accident 12 years ago. And the team at EPFL had worked on another device that they had implanted into this gentleman’s spinal cord, which allowed him to walk. That was an algorithm, or I should say a series of electrical signals that would generate a walking motion
However, the gentleman who received this device and others, there’s a challenge where one needs to keep in sync with the computer program. By introducing a brain computer interface into the equation, Professor Courtine and the other team members there at EPFL have provided more control over this mechanism. So rather than it being a rote algorithm that’s telling the legs to move in a certain way, this gentleman can now direct his legs to walk and also to be able to stand by issuing the signals.
There’s a damage to the spinal cord and where the way this device works is they have two discs that are implanted in this gentleman’s head that are then wirelessly transmitting data to receivers on the side of his head and then those signals are then sent down to the device in his spine, which is then sending signals to initiate that leg movement or muscular, hold whatever, whether standing or walking.
And so, in this way, the signals are bypassing the damage in the spinal cord and enabling this gentleman to walk again, which is amazing. It sounds like science fiction, but it is truly happening right now and we are approaching what we might consider the handle portion of the hockey stick with brain computer interface devices. So check it out. It’s an amazing story, and it certainly provides a lot of promise. Bear in mind, for those who are seeking this type of technology, know that it is still in development. Now, this is a proof of concept. However, it’s promising and it is certain that human trials will continue in this area. Fantastic news.
Now over to the positive environmental news, there is a large snapping turtle which was found in the Chicago River.. Some 50 years ago or so it was said that the river was so polluted, it could never support life again, or could not support a healthy ecosystem. And the thing about this snapping turtle and not only is that it’s a big ole, snapping turtle, which is awesome. This snapping turtle is old. This snapping turtle, they estimate, is over 20 years old. And so through human effort, despite our previous transgressions in sullying and dirtying the Chicago River, we have been able to restore that ecosystem to the point where this snapping turtle is able to survive and and perhaps thrive as well, which is fantastic. And it’s more positive news that shows that we can make a difference. We can have a positive impact on the environment, we can learn from our lessons, and we can do better.
So that’s where we’ll leave it. Thanks again for tuning in, watching or listening; and we hope you have a great day.
