Can you login to a computer without coming into physical contact with it, i.e., with your mind? With this process, a new biometric feature can be developed for authenticating a computer user in real-time, which involves brain waves. Or, can you control the security of a computer by changing the password with your thoughts? Sounds impossible, isn’t it? But it is actually possible through Brain Computer Interface, or BCI in short. So, what is BCI? A Brain–computer interface (BCI) is a framework that actions the movement of the central nervous system (CNS) and converts it into fake yield that replaces, re-establishes, upgrades, supplements, or further develops normal CNS yield, and in this manner changes the continuous communications between the CNS and its outside or inner environment [1]. With the help of BCI technology, researchers have been able to control drones in the sky, improving the quality of life of older adults and elderly patients, and even entering very complex commands as an input. But is it different from human computer interaction? How does it work? To understand this concept, we need to understand brain waves and how we can calibrate them.
Ever thought, what are these thoughts?
The human brain contains hundreds of billion nerve cells called neurons, which are connected by synapses, trillions of connections. On an average, each connection transmits about one signal per second. Thoughts can be considered as electric impulses generated by neurons. These neurons release special chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which generate these electrical signals in neighboring neurons [2].
Neuronal Firing
To understand neuronal firing, we need to understand three parts of a neuron, which are the soma, dendrites, and axons.
Soma: It is the “brain” of the brain cell which processes information and determines its importance for transfer to other cells.
Dendrites: They are tree-like structures capable of receiving and gathering information from other neurons for delivery to the soma.
Axon: Important information is passed from neurons to neurons through axons (act as wires). The axon is insulated with a fatty substance called myelin, to keep electrical current strong and flowing directionally.
The course of ordinary neuronal terminating happens as a correspondence between neurons through electrical impulses and neurotransmitters. If enough neurotransmitters are released, neuron firing is repeated in the next neurons. The propagation of thoughts depends on two things-how many neurons are firing and how often.
How Brain Computer Interface works?
The BCI works on the concept of these neurons firing by measuring the number of neurons firing event per second, i.e., the frequency of brain waves, and measuring the number of neurons involved, i.e., the amplitude of the brain waves. These changes in voltage are measured using electrodes attached to the top of your head or hooked up directly to neurons by drilling through the skull. Also, these waves are categorized into 4 types, namely alpha, beta, theta, and delta waves, which signifies different mental status according to frequency ranges and other features. With the help of these different categories of brain waves, BCI can measure human emotions like alertness, attention, focus and stress
Source: insights2techinfo.com
Fortizo Tech-hub 
Leave a comment