Telekinesis, made
possible by BCIs - The future for remote control[1]
Joseph
Tam Chun Kit (joseph.tam.2013@accountancy.smu.edu.sg),
1st Year Student, School of Accountancy, Singapore Management
University (SMU)
Executive Summary
The paper will cover on how the impossibility of telekinesis have
been made a reality by technology, and its vast change it could bring in
the future should further developments continue to occur in the neurological
field. It will discuss the many advantages that telekinesis, however basic,
will provide and also the limitations it faces and possible controversial
issues it could face, as such examining how it would measure up to its
competitors hence its viability.
1. Introduction
Much of
the technology we now have today have come about due to our desire to have
convenience in our lives, such as motor vehicles today which saves the time
needed to get to our destination, or mobile phones such that we can communicate
with others without actually being physically present. Remote control
technology brings this a step further by being able to translate the
communication into actions.
Remote
control, however, has its limitations. The act of transmitting a command to the
target object involves 2 steps, whereby the person decides on the act and then
using the remote control to transmit the command to the object. Brain-to-computer
interfaces (BCI), which is an interface
that allows a human to control a computer or gadget with thought using EEG, allows for the
information to be transmitted the moment it is thought. This removes the time
lag between the thought and the process of operating the remote control and
allows more complicated tasks and accurate movements to be completed by use of
remote control.
As of now, remote control has only been used to
control computers or other electronic devices.
Through the use of Brain-to-brain interfaces (BBI) or BCI together with Transcranial
Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the minds of animals and humans can be
controlled.
Current forms of remote controls have to be
hand-operated which is inconvenient for people to use while on-the-go or when
their hands are full. Some of them are not user friendly because also
complicated to operate due to the large number of commands available for input.
BCI may be able to offer the solution in the future where users would only need
to think about the action in order to make it happen.
This paper will cover the invention of remote
controls in the 1900s and its development and gradual proliferation in the
technology we use today. It will then consider the limitations of the current
remote control technology we use today as well as the limitations of EEG in the
present. The benefits that the realm of mind control (through the use of EEG) can
offer in the future to improve on current remote control technology will be
explained as well as possible difficulties it may face. The controversial
issues and benefits with regards to the use of EEG in between humans will also
be discussed, together with measures which may be taken to minimise the
occurrence of such problems.
2. Historical
Perspectives
2.1 Remote control
The earliest form of remote
control was in 1898 which was invented by Nicola Tesla through the use of radio
waves to control a boat. In
his demonstration, Tesla used a miniature boat controlled by radiowaves. Using a metal antenna on
the boat which could receive one radio frequency, Tesla sent signals to the
boat using his device for remote control which was a box equipped with a lever
and a telegraph key (originally designed to send Morse code signals). The
signals generated from this box shifted electrical contacts aboard the boat,
which, in turn, adjusted settings for the rudder and propeller, allowing the
operator to control the boat's motion. (O’Neill, as cited by Jonnes in 2003)
Shortly after Tesla's breakthroughs, Spanish
engineer Leonardo Torres-Quevedo used wireless telegraph transmitters (by the
use of electromagnetic waves) to control first a tricycle, then an
engine-powered boat, and then into submarine torpedoes. (Pérez,
2008) This newly discovered technology was used In World War I,
where the German navy used remotely controlled boats loaded with explosives to
attack opposition ships. With remote controlled weapons, armed forces could now
direct armaments from a distance.
The 1930s saw the emergence of remote controls
for radios. Philco (Philadelphia Storage Battery Company) offered
some of its high-end radios with a wireless, battery-powered remote called the
Mystery Control. In the mid-1950s, Zenith engineer Eugene Polley devised his
Flashmatic TV remote, which used directional flashes of light to control the
television. But the TV's four photo cells responded to all sorts of light
sources, causing spontaneous channel changes.
In 1956, Robert Adler created the Space Command
control, which employed high-frequency, ultrasonic sound instead of light. This
new remote didn't even require batteries. Instead, it had tiny hammers to
strike one of four aluminum rods, creating different sounds used only by the
TV's receiver. One rod each controlled the on and off power functions and the
channel up and down function. (Acebrón and Spigler, 2007).
It was only in
the 1980s where remotes began using the infrared light signals
that are most commonly seen today.
2.2 Electroencephalography (EEG)
In 1875, Richard Caton reported his findings about the
electrical nature of the brain, whereby the brains of dogs and apes were found
to emit electrical impulses on the surface. In 1929, citing Caton’s research,
Hans Berger was able to record brain activity from a closed skull using EEG and
found that brain activity varied according to the functional stages of the
brain. Several years later, it was discovered that similar results could be
obtained by using pads instead of putting needles through the scalp into the
skull. This was a significant discovery as it allowed EEG to be non-invasive.
In
1934, Fisher and Lowenback first demonstrated epileptiform spikes. In 1935
Gibbs, Davis and Lennox described interictal spike waves and the 3 cycles/s
pattern of clinical absence seizures, which began the field of clinical
electroencephalography. Subsequently, in 1936 Gibbs and Jasper reported the
interictal spike as the focal signature of epilepsy. The same year, the first
EEG laboratory opened at Massachusetts General Hospital. The usefulness of EEG
in understanding epilepsies increased the funding provided for EEG which
bolstered further research in the area.
In the 1950s, William Grey Walter developed an
adjunct to EEG called EEG topography, which allowed for the mapping of
electrical activity across the surface of the brain. This
gave researchers a more accurate view of the location of alterations of rhythm
and amplitude of the brain waves. (Collura, 1993)
3.
Current
situation
These
days, many of the products have built-in remote control capabilities into them.
There are used in devices such as the television remote control, toy cars and
helicopters, military weapons, as well as plenty of industry equipment. This
proliferation of remote control technology in our daily lives thus broadens the
scope of influence that BCI has. The
practical use of BCI in today’s context mainly centres on the use of invasive (implanting
the BCI into the grey matter of the brain) and partially invasive( implanting
the BCI within the skull but not in the brain) techniques. The non-invasive use
of BCI which is made possible through the use of Electrocephalography although
offers greater potential to be commercialised and commonly used, is a
relatively new technology and most of the applications it has today merely
offers potential for the future instead of for practical purposes.
3.1
Invasive and Partially-Invasive Brain-to-Computer
Interface(BCI)
Despite the greater potential that the
non-invasive usage of BCI offers for the future, at the moment the practical
uses of BCI such as in the medical field relies on invasive methods of
implanting the BCI devices into either the grey matter of the brain or
partially invasive methods of implanting the devices within the skull but not
in the brain itself. The use of such methods allows for clearer signals to be
received and used, because although the electrodes in the BCIs measure the same signals used in EEG, but
their closer proximity to the brain and the elimination of the insulating
features of the skull and dura result in greater signal amplitude, wider
detectable frequency range, and better topographical resolution (Mak
and Wolpaw,2009). More information can thus be transmitted to the
BCI which allows for a greater number of movements and more complex tasks.
Currently it has been used in the vision science area through partially
restoring vision to blind people, and in neuroprosthetics by restoring movement
in people such as through computers or robotic arms (wiseGEEK,
2013). The dangers posed by Invasive BCI methods such as the increased risk of
developing scar tissues as the body reacts to the foreign object in the brain
which will cause the signal to weaken or become completely undetectable. Implantation surgery, and the presence of a foreign
object within a human’s body, can create scar
tissue in the area around the implantation. Scar
tissue build can even cause the relatively
stronger signal to weaken or be lost altogether (Kennedy
and Bakay, 1998) which would defeat the purpose of using an invasive BCI in the
first place. There is also the risk of the BCI implant malfunctioning or lose
operational capabilities, in which case brain surgery might need to be
performed again ( which presents significant risk and cost in the use of
invasive BCI’s) compared to
non-invasive BCI’s used by patients which can
undergo consistent maintenance and upgrades. Because of such disadvantages,
development of BCIs have been primary non-invasive in areas such as the EU and
Asia
3.2 Non-Invasive
Brain-to-Computer Interface (BCI)
The non-invasive type of BCI is made possible
through the use of EEG whereby intracranial
electrophysiological signals are recorded using electrodes and interpreted to
decode the intent of subjects and control external devices (Lebedev
and Nicolelis, 2006). The successful use of this type of BCI has been
demonstrated by a group of researchers in the University of Minnesota where a
flying robot has been successfully controlled. The thoughts of the researcher
controlling the robot were interpreted through the use of an EEG cap and using
this, the robot was capable of being manoeuvred even through hoops (LaFleur
et al.,2013). The ability to execute such relatively complex
movements is a significant one because it was previously thought that only
invasive BCI’s could do so.
The ability of non-invasive BCI to demonstrate
capabilities similar to that of invasive BCIs is crucial due to the numerous
problems posed by invasive BCIs. The need of implanting the device into the
grey matter of the brain poses significant risks due to the need for brain
operation, and as such invasive BCIs can only realistically be used as a solution
for serious health issues such as blindness and paralysis.
Non-invasive BCIs have
been successfully used
in patients both partially or severely paralyzed, allowing them to have basic
forms of communication and control in their interaction with the external
world. The EPOC headset today is an example of the application of non-invasive
BCI in today’s world, whereby it can be used as a form of art, aid medical
patients, used as a form of market research and most importantly in the area
with the biggest market, gaming.
3.3 Brain-to-Brain
interface (BBI)
The field of BBI is still in its early stages
whereby different methods of transmitting the data are being used in different
studies. A technique known as focus ultrasound (FUS) has been found that a low-intensity
blast can be used to stimulate brain tissue without damaging it. Using this
technique, rats were able to be controlled with the human
mind by connecting the rat to a FUS-based computer-to-brain interface
(CBI) and the human controller is hooked up to an EEG-based
BCI. The human is then given a specific visual cue which generates electrical
brain activity in the same frequency. When this activity is detected by the
BCI, it sends a command to the CBI, which in turn sends FUS into the region of
the rat's brain that controls its tail, causing it to move. (Starr,
2013)[vl1]
Another
more well-known experiment involved a researcher being able to transmit brain
signals to his colleague via the internet causing his hand to move. The sender
of the brain signals was connected to an EEG-based BCI, and the signal was sent
to the receiver via the Internet to
a computer connected to a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, positioned
on the exact spot of the brain that controls the right hand (Rao and Stocco, 2013)
4 Future considerations
The use of EEG based remote control has lots of
potential but to realise it first we have to overcome the limitations of the
contributing technologies, mainly the field of EEG. We also need to consider
measures to limit the possible negative effects that future developments of EEG
based remote control could result in.
4.1 Limitations
A
significant limitation of using non-invasive BCI & BBI by the use of electroencephalography (EEG) is the corruption
of EEG data by electrical signals that are picked up by the sensors that do not
originate from cortical neurons, such as through eye movement, blinking, the
use of scalp, neck, or other muscles and also poor contact between the scalp
and the electrodes (Rowan
andTolunsky,2003). This makes it impractical to use
EEG based remote control in practical situations because rarely will there be
such controlled environments to prevent the corruption of the electrical
signals. The distortion of electrical signals by even the use of muscles makes
it hard to be used while on-the-go, which defeats the purpose of convenience
intended for the user. However there are ways to overcome this, by reducing
such distractions and “noise” through the use of reference electrodes placed in
locations where there is little cortical activity so as to filter out
correlated patterns (Ludwig et al., 2009)
Another problem of EEG in the use of BCI is that much of the
signals are lost due to overlapping electrical activity generated by different
cortical areas as well as the passive conductance of these signals through
braise tissue, bone and skin( Lebedev
and Nicolelis,2006). As a result, the signal is insufficient for the
control of highly complex equipment. For example in the case of a prosthetic
arm, the signals necessary to control the arm , including the closed loop
controls between the brain, arm and
fingers, would be too blurred for the necessary arm movement (Dietrich et al., 2010)
Lastly, the use of EEG based BCI
requires the individuals to be trained for a significant period of time. In
research conducted by Bin he, the individuals were trained extensively over a
couple of months to be familiar with the mechanics of flying the remote
controlled droid as well as practicing the thoughts needed to create the
brainwave required to control the droid. Similarly in the BBI experiment by Rao
and Stocco (2013), subjects had to spend time training their minds so as to
emit the correct brainwave for moving the right hand so that it could be
recognised by the computer. This seems to be a rather pressing issue because
people are not receptive to devices which require lots of effort to master when
the current form of remote control is a more convenient alternativive.. [vl2]
4.2
Possible Applications in the future
The use of EEG based remote control provides the opportunity
for patients suffering from paralysis to operate equipment around them and
interact with their surroundings through the use of telepresence robotics, enabling
them a certain level of independence that they would otherwise not achieve. Combined with the ability to express their
thoughts in a simple form (Morrison, 2013), this greatly improves the quality of life that
these patients will enjoy.
In a study by Cruse et al (2011), a small
percentage of patients known to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) were
shown to be able to generate appropriate EEG responses in response to various
commands. This presence of brain activity could offer the possibility of using
the EEG based remote control which will allow these patients to lead a more
normal life.
As
mentioned before, the use the EEG based remote control reduces the time lag
between thought and action. An example of where this would be useful would be
for medical robots controlled by doctors to perform operations. Robots are
being increasingly used for medical operations because they allow for smaller
and more specific movements to be carried out and access to the areas of the
body which are harder to reach, Urmc.rochester.edu
(2013).In this context, it is important that the actions carried out by
the robot are as synchronised as possible to the surgeon’s intentions because a
very low margin of error is allowed. This form of remote control makes humans to be more connected
to machines, allowing for better reaction times reduce accidents from
occurring.
The
ability to control equipment without physically doing so offers benefits more
than just mere convenience. In scenarios where the user suddenly loses his
physical capabilities such as in the case of traffic accidents or sudden health
conditions like heart attacks, EEG based remote control provides the means for
the victims to seek for methods of escape by still being able or communicate to
others for help.
BBI, which
makes brain-to-brain communication possible, offers a host of possibilities in
the future. Animals, some who possess a small size capable of entering small
nooks and crannies, and others with acute sensory mechanisms, could be used in
search and rescue operations as well as environmental surveillance. As shown in
the experiment Rao and Stocco (2013), BBI can be used to induce actions in the
receiver. The ability to control movements of other
people would be a useful educational tool especially for the teaching of
complicated movements such as for skills like dancing, self-defence and sports
manoeuvres. The role of internet in BBI also opens up the potential for
physical interactions to occur through virtual networks which would be a new
element of communication
BCI, combined with the capabilities of BBI through the internet,
offers great potential in the gaming industry because it brings in an
additional physical aspect in the world of virtual reality. Its relevance and
potential for the gaming industry is significant because of the large amount of
people it could reach out to, compared to the medical field, and thus the large
market of the gaming industry will attract resources for further development of
relevant technologies and developments in its medical applications would
benefit as part of its spill over effects.
With further developments in BCIs and BBIs, there will inevitably
be concerns regarding ethics such as the invasion of privacy such as in cases
where the patient does not have means of expressing consent due to various
forms of communicative disorder. As a result, it is unclear if it would be
ethical to either implant BCI’s or to subject them to non-invasive BCIs which
would be tapping into their minds without prior consent, amounting to a breach
of privacy.
The availability of medical BCI usages also creates new problems
regarding the distribution of such medical devices. The technology of BCIs is
relatively complex and requires certain qualifications and hence people in
rural areas would be left out of the benefits. With healthcare being something
that is supposed to be a public right in some countries, but yet with a limited
number of BCIs, ethical issues may arise on the priority given to different types
of patients; The patients requiring BCIs are mainly the disabled with varying
degrees of paralysis, both which could be in-born or as a result of accidents.
The ability to control the minds of animals and use them as tools
for human activities may also outrage animal rights activists and face public
condemnation, despite the many benefits it may confer. Brain to brain communication
might also give rise to the possibility of mind control without consent, such
as in the case where researchers were able to control the actions of the rat.
4.4 Social Issues
The high cost of EEG related technology means it would not be
accessible to the poor. With regards to the medical benefits that could be
derived, funds channelled into its research could arguably do more good in
being used to address the basic needs and concerns of the common man instead of
providing specialised healthcare that only the rich could afford.
Should non-invasive forms of EEG become popular in the future, its
popularity might compel the government to make it compulsory for everyone for
administrative purposes due to the convenience it brings for everyone to be
under the same health plan, even though some people may actually be opposed to
it.
The usage of non-invasive BCIs in the gaming industry, although
poses many benefits such as offering gamers a whole new experience, can pose
significant threats. The proliferation of BCIs may gradually lead to getting
information from the internet itself(instead of only sending information) which
would definitely lead to new kinds of internet viruses that may have disastrous
consequences given that they can “hack” into a person’s brain, not just his
computer.
Conclusion
Telekinesis has been made possible through the use of BCIs. The
realm of non-invasive BCIs offers significant advantages as its ease of use
offers the potential for it to be applied not just in the medical field, but in
areas for the common man such as communication, gaming, as well as possible
social applications. Hence in my opinion non-invasive BCIs will become a
revolution in the future. However, it also presents to us many new problems
should it become a reality. Issues of mind control become an actual reality
which we could face decades later, and we may need to ask the question whether
BCI, with the risk that it offers, should be commercialised and be used for recreation
or for the sake of convenience instead of the main medical usages currently.
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[vl1]Besides
stating the current situation, you need to state the impacts of the current
forms of telekinesis technology.
[vl2]These
limitations are too micro in level. You need to look at the broader picture.
Examine the economic, social and possibly legal impacts of these technology and
not just the specific limitations/impacts of one small example of telekinsis
technology
Give your own inputs and if possible substantitate them
with information found online.
