Release date: 2015-05-29
Recently, Nikolailis, the founder of Duke University's “Re-walking Programâ€, released an inspiring news: the mechanical exoskeleton developed based on brain-computer interface technology has been able to help patients with spinal cord injury to recover. And consciously move the muscles that have been licking for years.
What is the magical aspect of the brain-computer interface? This reporter interviewed Gao Xiaoyu, a professor of biomedical engineering at Tsinghua University. He has long been engaged in the research of brain-computer interface technology, neural signal detection and processing. Gao Xiaoyu said: Brain-computer interface technology is to extract signals directly from the brain to control external devices, and in the future it can be used on thoughtful vegetative people.
Text / reporter Li Hua
Intern Peng Lina
Chinese experts said that after nearly half a century of innovation and development, the "brain-computer interface" technology has been able to capture complex brain signals in real time and use it to directly control external devices. China's "China Brain Plan" has been launched, and the use of brain-computer interfaces is full of imagination.
Brain signal control external device
Guangzhou Daily: How does the brain-computer interface technology work?
Gao Xiaowei: Brain-computer interface technology is a branch of human-machine interface and human-computer interaction technology. Traditional human-computer interaction requires the participation of peripheral muscle tissue, such as manual operation, voice input, etc., and the brain-computer interface technology directly extracts signals from the brain to control external devices, skipping the peripheral organization, that is, this Technology establishes a direct link between the human brain and external devices.
Guangzhou Daily: What is the development of brain-computer interface technology?
Gao Xiaowei: Brain-computer interface technology was proposed by Professor Vidal of the United States in 1973. He first published an article, proposed the concept of brain-computer interface and gave the correct theoretical framework. Now our research has not yet jumped out of this framework. However, because the computer technology at that time was still not developed enough, Professor Vidal gave up after a few years of trying, and failed to realize his theoretical framework. In the next 20 years, no one else did this.
In the 1990s, with the development of computer technology, the United States, Europe and China began to independently carry out research on brain-computer interface technology, which has little to do with the article of Professor Vidal. Later, after the brain-computer interface was "hot", Some people found out that someone had said this 20 years ago. In our country, Tsinghua University began to do brain-computer interface research in 1996, and published the first paper on brain-computer interface in 1999.
Guangzhou Daily: Does brain-computer interface technology involve multi-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary cooperation?
Gao Xiaowei: Yes, brain-computer interface technology is a multidisciplinary and very cutting-edge technology. It is related to neuroscience, information science, materials science, etc., and the pulling effect on technology is very obvious. The team that studies the brain-computer interface at home and abroad should include experts in various fields of various disciplines. We have done research in South China University of Technology, Hong Kong University and Tsinghua University.
Guangzhou Daily: Research on brain-computer interface technology is divided into several categories?
Gao Xiaoying: There are two major research methods in brain-computer interface. One is invasive brain-computer interface technology, which is to implant nerve electrodes directly into the brain and extract the signals of neurons. Miguel Nie, a scientist at Duke University in the United States. Miguelnicolelis is leading the way in the brain. However, there is a problem in this method, that is, implanting a foreign body into the brain tissue, the brain will produce a rejection reaction or an inflammatory reaction, so the implantation time is too long, and the signal will be more and more decayed after a long time. The electrode implantation time should be a few months or less. There is also a non-invasive brain-computer interface technology, which is directly on the cerebral cortex, placing electrodes on the scalp, just like we do ECG and EEG, recording brain signals. The advantage of this method is that it has no damage to people and can be recorded all the time, but his weakness is that the signal is very weak.
Core technology can be compared with the international
Guangzhou Daily: Is there a gap between the domestic research on brain-computer interface technology and the international community?
Gao Xiaowei: It can be said that there is no gap. Because we started research very early, now the key technologies and core technologies in the brain-computer interface in China are at the same level as the international community, but our overall level of technology is not comparable to them, and if we want to do A lot of experimental demonstrations, and there is not enough financial and material resources to support.
Guangzhou Daily: What is the current status of brain-computer interface research in China?
Gao Xiaowei: The state supports brain-computer interface research, and this is also a very important part of brain science research. But in the whole brain science research, there are very few people who engage in neuroengineering and brain-computer interface. There are only a few research universities in the country.
There are many reasons for this. On the one hand, after all, brain-computer interface technology can develop to the level of providing services, there is still a long way to go, the country has many more important things to do. On the other hand, in the field of neuroscience, there are probably two research routines. One is based on the reductionist research idea, that is, the finer the things are, the better, and the other is based on holistic thinking, seeing the brain To do research in a whole, brain-computer interface technology is based on holism, but the domestic brain science research is still based on reductionism.
Guangzhou Daily: Is the development of brain-computer interface technology still in the laboratory stage?
Gao Xiaowei: Yes, now China’s main research team has no energy to do practical applications. If you ask a team of scientists to have a very high-end technology, to track the world’s frontiers, and to do more practical applications, then this lab team will have to Huge, our current conditions can not support such a large team, but also the involvement of the industry.
It is better like foreign countries. The academic circles have made research results. The industry has quickly followed up. China is now heating up, and the industry is slowly following up, but the capital market has not moved.
Or can help vegetative people communicate with the outside world
Guangzhou Daily: What is the application prospect of brain-computer interface technology?
Gao Xiaowei: The current stage is to go from the laboratory to the application, but the application is too complicated, everyone is different, so everyone is thinking about how to apply this technology. For example, a frozen person like Hawking, you can let him use the brain-computer interface, and those who are paralyzed and hemiplened after a stroke, can give him rehabilitation exercises, and may also be used on vegetative people, some of them are still Thinking but not expressing it. If you use this technology on him, you may also have preliminary communication with the outside world. Everyone is going from the lab to the practical application. You can use the brain-computer interface technology on the patient. It can also be used to improve the ability of healthy people. For example, you can extract the mental state of healthy people and let him Can more control the robot, the car, or improve his cognitive ability.
Another research direction of brain-computer interface technology is a hybrid mode of human-machine collaboration. Because some things are easy to judge, and some things are easy to do, so make the two complementary. The development of the machine's exoskeleton is based on this truth.
Guangzhou Daily: What do you think about the moral hazard that may exist in brain-computer interface technology?
Gao Xiaowei: Any technology that is not used properly will be risky. However, as far as the current development level of brain-computer interface technology is concerned, I can say that there will be no danger to people within 20 years, technology has not developed to the extent that it can pose a threat to people, and I believe that there will be ways for future people. To prevent this technology from being abused.
Source: Guangzhou Daily
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