Controlling Computers With Neu :: essays research papers

In the classic science-fiction movie Forbidden Planet,space travelers from Earth land on a far-flung planet, where theyencounter the remnants of a technologically advancedcivilization. Even though they are not from this distant planet,the space travelers are able to communicate with one of the exotic reckoners. They do this by connecting themselves to glowing headprobes. By doing this the space travelers thoughts and feelingsare directly conveyed to the alien computer over a spooky link.In the science-fiction movie The Matrix, the world isrun by machines that use humans as batteries so sustainthemselves. A group of humans brake the reach of the machines andbegin to wage a war on their metallic oppressors. These peopleare able to fight the machines with the back up of computers. Eachone of these people has a jack in the back of his or her headthat is connected to a computer. By doing this, the people areable to turn their thoughts, such as escape bullets and knowingKung-Fu, int o reality.The idea of people having their minds linked tocomputers has appeared throughout works of science-fiction. Theway this idea works is very simple. A person thinks of a commandand the computer immediately responds. Thought recognitionwould be the ultimate computer interface, the machine acting asan extension of the human nervous system itself.(Lusted, Hugh S.and Knapp, R. Benjamin dictatorial Computers with flighty SignalsScientific American, October 1996) This technology would provevery useful for people with neuromuscular handicaps. The purposeof this paper is to show how controlling computers with neuralsignals will help make life easier for people with handicaps andhow it will affect the future.Computer technology has advanced considerably in thelast forty years. Even with all these advances, constructing aversatile neural junction between a human brain and an electronicone remains a formidable challenge.(Lusted, Hugh S. and Knapp, R.Benjamin Controlling Computers with Neural Signals ScientificAmerican, October 1996) Attempts to tie the nervous system toexternal electronic circuits are, however, well worth pursuing. The results may provide means for effortless communication withcomputers.The closest involvement to computer thought recognition rightnow is voice recognition. Voice recognition software has been indevelopment since the 1950s. This software has been availableand affordable for the bypast three or four years to the generalpublic. The purpose of voice recognition software is to allowthe user to dictate words into a mike that are transformedinto either text for word processing or commands for navigation,without the use of a keyboard.(Communication Technology forDisabled Persons. Erich E. Sutter in Handbook of Amyotrophic