Re: [unrev-II] Fwd: Re: BBC program 'Future Fantastic' on brain-cyberspace interface

From: Henry van Eyken (vaneyken@sympatico.ca)
Date: Fri Jul 20 2001 - 20:51:47 PDT

  • Next message: Peter Jones: "Re: [unrev-II] Do Bees Pay Each Other [WAS: Re: Engelbart and the self-organizing "collective intelligence" or "hive mind" concept]"

    I looked a bit at societal ramifications of this and related issues in "The
    connected brain (or Das Wohltemperierte Klavier)":
    www.fleabyte.org/archives-computing_to_a_purpose-2.html#Connected_brain
    My concern was and still is corporate power too highly concentrated.
    Notice also references to various BBC reports.

    And for some detail: "Through the eyes of a cat":
    http://www.fleabyte.org/archives-rcfoc-1999-2.html#RCFoC-251099

    Henry

    Jack Park wrote:

    > >Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 17:05:59 -0700 (PDT)
    > >From: Gottfried Mayer <gmayerkress@yahoo.com>
    > >Subject: Re: BBC program 'Future Fantastic' on brain-cyberspace interface
    > >To: gbrain@listserv.vub.ac.be
    > >Sender: owner-gbrain@listserv.vub.ac.be
    > >Reply-To: gbrain@listserv.vub.ac.be
    > >
    > >Paul,
    > >thanks for the BBC news alert. I would like to provide some background since
    > >the BBC people apparently didn't do their journalistic homework about
    > >brainwaves and their control. (Thanks to the Internet it is easier to
    > >do a little fact-check yourself.)
    > >First of all the person they feature, Andrew Junker, doesn't really claim to
    > >use brainwaves to control gadgets (at least he didn't in the latest of his
    > >publications that showed up in a google search). He says:
    > >
    > >"The Cyberlink(tm) System is controlled by the voltages found on the
    > >surface of
    > >the forehead.
    > >When the muscles of the body contract a corresponding voltage can be detected
    > >on the surface of the skin. "
    > >
    > >CYBERLINK MINDMOUSE: APPLICATIONS OF BRAIN WAVE COMPUTER CONTROL
    > >http://www.dinf.org/csun_99/session0244.html
    > >
    > >So maybe I am wrong and BBC talks about a brand new version but if you watch
    > >the show, check if they mention how he does it. The signal from the muscles in
    > >your forehead are much stronger than the EEG brainwaves, and real
    > >brain-researchers go through a lot of efforts to avoid those "muscle
    > >artifacts"
    > >because it messes up the brain wave signal. So what you really need to do with
    > >his device is to learn how to make funny faces and learn how your muscle
    > >activation controls the gadget. I mean that might be helpful for people who
    > >cannot use their arms but it might cheaper (and more honest to them) if you
    > >give them an interface where they can use, say, their lip or tongue muscles
    > >over which you have much more control than your frowning muscles in the
    > >forehead.
    > >
    > >If you want to play with a device that at least does a power-spectrum and has
    > >some nice display, you can buy a
    > >"brain wave controller" at IBVA TECHNOLOGIES,
    > >INC.http://www.ibva.com/IBVA%20docs/default.htm (US$ 1400 for one channel).
    > >It does not correct for muscle artifact so you also end up making funny faces.
    > >(I had their two channel model and I tried
    > >it with students to control video games.)
    > >
    > >At the Gbrain-0 workshop I mentioned to Ben Houston that the only device that
    > >uses truly brainwaves and that has been shown to
    > >work with locked-in patients who no longer can make funny faces has been
    > >developed by Niels Birbaumer's group. See the ABCNews report and a scientific
    > >reference:
    > >
    > >Using Brain Waves to Talk, Paralyzed Patients Use Special Computers, 24 March
    > >1999
    > >http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/brain_computers990324.html
    > >
    > >The thought translation device: a neurophysiological approach to communication
    > >in total motor paralysis.
    > >Kubler A, Kotchoubey B, Hinterberger T et al
    > >Exp Brain Res 1999 Jan;124(2):223-32
    > >http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=9928845&form=6&db=m
    > >&Dopt=b
    > >
    > >
    > >Ben, maybe you can post a link to the sources that you had mentioned, I'd be
    > >curious to find out more how they do it.
    > >
    > >Anyway, enjoy the BBC show ... with a grain of salt.
    > >
    > >Gottfried
    >
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