gaming- good application of BCI + lack of liability
Some examples include:
Cheung+Rao (2012)- subject control 2-D motion w/ joystick and hand motor imagery using EEG
controlled up-down motion of cursor using imagery, joystick for left-right motion
Brainball (Hjelm and Browall 2000): control relaxation level by alpha rhythms
MindGame (Finke 2009): P300- moves a character across a 3D board
More Cool Games! :)
other gaming applications use SSVEP, or motor imagery and EEG-based virtual navigation
More examples:
BCI-controlled pinball machine (Tangermann 2009): paddle controlled by 2-class BCI based on imagery (left and right hand motor!)
Tetris (Blankertz 2010): left or right-hand motor imagery to make tetris go left/right, mental rotation to rotate, foot motor imagery to drop!
Brain-Controlled Art
fNIR-based sketch drawing program (Mappus, Jackson 2009)
perhaps can use the user's brain signal when they're responding to the art to change some elements of the art
"The Ascent" by Yehuda Duenyas- wears 3-D flying harness and a dry electrode headset - allows performers to ascend based on brain signals
done by detecting alpha and theta band oscillations in EEG
Ethics of BCI
Balancing Risks vs Benefits
care about damage or infection of invasive BCIs
Some questions include:
What are the potential side effects?
What are the patient's expectations?
What effect does it have on family?
Does the increase performance of an invasive BCI compared to non-invasive justify the risk associated with it?
Informed Consent
the definition of informed consent includes:
the risks + benefits associated with BCI technology in comparison to the alternative methods
information being extracted from the brain
consequences of extracting this information: could it lead to embarrassment or legal consequences?
More Informed Consent
some complications of BCI use might include:
in the case of children, is it enough to get consent from their parents?
if there's a locked-in patient, who gets to give consent then?
can consent be obtained from patients suffering from cognitive deficits that prevent them from fully understanding the benefits vs risks?
Abuse of BCI Technology
some immoral usage of BCI technology might include:
Mind reading or "brain tapping": we are able to intercept, record, or exploit a person's thoughts, reflections, adn beliefs using BCI technology. This might be used by criminals, terrorists, corporations, or spy agencies- not to mention law enforcement and military entities
Coercion or "mind control": BCI can be hijacked or used to force someone to do something against their own will
More Abuse of BCI
some immoral usage of BCI technology might include:
Memory Manipulation: BCI that can stimulate the brain can also erase memories or write in false memories, or even "brainwashing"
Viruses: a computer virus can be tapped into the machine, and it will lad to cognitive impairment or manipulation
BCI can also be tampered with to bias an outcome. "lie detection" can be manipulated to align an outcome.
need strong security measures as our responsibilities with this enormous power
BCI Security and Privacy
Institutional Review Board (IRB) checks for guidelines to ethical human subjects research.
What neural data is being stored? Could the data reveal something that breaches privacy? Will the data be stored and for how long, and why?
Activities against BCI security and privacy should be illegal.
However, there are a lot of rules that are not yet set in stone.
Legal Issues
lawmakers will need to determine which BCI activities are legal or not.
courts will have to decide the consequences of it
what if the BCI machine did something illegal using the user's subconscious, then is the user responsible for it?
BCI users might need to sign a waiver, much like driving a car. However, it's much easier to tell when it's the car vs the driver's fault than it is for BCI and its user.
Moral and Social Justice Issues
Moral dilemmas arise for something such as cochlear implants. Some deaf people don't think deafness is a disability. So should a deaf child receive this implant?
Also, evolution sculpted the brain to control our bodies with physical environment. So how will this escape from limitations imposed by our bodies change evolution?
Social justice problems will occur such as if the rich gives their children some implants to enhance physical or mental abilities
More on Moral and Social Justice
Potential Solution: government subsidize basic types of BCI for those who can't afford them
Parents will also be faced with the decision that should they allow their child to be involved with BCI? Then will they leave their child at an advantage vs disadvantage?
society might be split into the "haves" and the "have-nots", and how will social institutions such as schools or athletes or the Olympics handle that?