[Reading Science] The Connection Between Humans and Computers... The 'Choinryu' Era Is Coming

Evolution of BCI Technology Enabling Paralyzed Patients to Walk by Thought
Creating an Unimaginable Future with AI Technology

"Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to surpass human capabilities around 2045, and humans and computers will connect to become 'superhumans.'" This is what futurist Ray Kurzweil, former Director of Engineering at Google, said in his book The Singularity Is Near. Is his prediction science fiction or prophecy? The AI field has recently shown rapid development, such as the emergence of ChatGPT, indicating signs of exceeding expectations. So, what about research and development (R&D) on technology that connects humans and computers, namely Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)? It is also growing at an astonishingly fast pace.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed an exoskeleton robot operated by brain-computer interface technology, creating a device that allows walking by thought alone. Photo by KIST

What is BCI technology?

The 2014 Hollywood movie Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp, is set in an era where the brain and computer are connected to upload all memories to a computer. It may seem like a distant future, but it is not. According to materials published by the National Science and Technology Council (NST) in December 2020, BCI technology, which connects the brain and computers (robots, machines, etc.), is broadly divided into four stages. The first is acquiring brain signals, which is classified into invasive methods that implant chips into the brain and non-invasive methods that use devices such as electroencephalography (EEG) worn on the head or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The invasive method is more accurate but risky and currently limited by device lifespan. It requires surgery, poses inflammation risks, and needs replacement due to corrosion. On the other hand, the non-invasive method is harmless and easily replaceable but less accurate.

Capturing, analyzing, and utilizing brain signals is not a simple task. The human brain is largely divided into four areas: the parietal lobe responsible for touch, the occipital lobe for vision, the temporal lobe activated in auditory and language functions, and the frontal lobe related to movement, speech, problem-solving, emotions, and complex thinking. However, their roles are not clearly separated and signals are exchanged through networks. The exact operating principles and mechanisms of the brain are not yet fully understood. Currently, brain signal measurements used in BCI technology mainly come from the cerebral cortex, but recently, research measuring signals from subcortical areas and the brainstem has been actively conducted.

Brain activation areas. Image source=National Science and Technology Institute (NST)

The second stage is accurately receiving brain signals and extracting information. It is a very challenging task to properly interpret signals exchanged by approximately 87 billion neurons, each connected by over 1,000 synapses. Moreover, noise such as eye blinking, breathing, and heartbeat is mixed in. The third stage is understanding the characteristics of brain signals, which involves identifying the connectivity between specific brainwaves and certain actions. Recently, with the advancement of AI and deep learning technologies, R&D to digitize and 'translate' brain signals has been active. It has long surpassed the level of interpreting simple commands like walking or drinking water. For example, participants’ brains watching animations are scanned with fMRI to digitize changes in brain activity over time, then AI analyzes this data to recreate the viewed video or even capture thoughts and convert them into sentences.

The fourth stage is technology that interprets meaning and intent from these signals and uses them to operate external devices. It converts brain signals into commands for humans to control computers, robots, or other machines. There have already been successes in connecting the brains of patients with complete paralysis to computers to operate robotic arms, form sentences for speech, or control exoskeleton robots to walk through brainwaves.

The amazing future BCI technology will bring

BCI technology currently shows the greatest utility in medical fields such as rehabilitation for patients with complete paralysis. Patients who could not walk or move due to spinal cord injuries or cerebral palsy can now operate wheelchairs or exoskeleton robots with their thoughts and can input text or operate smartphones and computers.

Moreover, revolutionary changes are expected in mobile device fields such as drones and autonomous vehicles with the introduction of BCI technology. The possibility of storing and uploading human memories is opening, making movies a reality. Communication speed between humans and computers can be increased more than fivefold, and a kind of superpower called telepathy between humans will become possible. In other words, a cartoon-like world will unfold where people can connect to computers with their thoughts and transmit messages, feelings, and thoughts to distant others for communication. Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), which currently require complex devices and lack intuitive feel, will become commonplace, completely changing work and lifestyle.

A researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) is experimenting with a device that allows walking by thought alone while wearing an exoskeleton robot using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Photo by KIST

In the medical field, astonishing 'miracles' are already being led. A research team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) recently announced remarkable results using BCI technology reminiscent of the 'miracles of Jesus.' The international journal Nature published a paper on the 1st reporting that the team, researching brain-spinal cord interface (BSI) technology on patients who lost walking ability due to spinal cord injury, found that the patients regained the ability to walk independently.

The team implanted a chip in the brain area responsible for walking in one participant for a year and connected it to the spinal cord controlling leg muscles, creating a BSI system that allowed communication between the two. The participant was left to use the system alone at home and was observed. The participant was able to stand, walk, climb stairs, and even navigate complex terrain. Then, while diligently training to walk using the BSI system alone, a 'miracle' occurred. One day, even with the BSI device turned off, the participant regained the ability to walk naturally on their own. The team evaluated that the digital bridge (BSI) provided a framework to restore motor control abilities damaged after disability to their original state.

What is Elon Musk trying to do?

The 'eccentric billionaire' Elon Musk’s brain engineering startup Neuralink, founded in 2016, recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trials of BCI chip implantation. Neuralink’s BCI chip technology is known to implant about 1,000 thin thread-like electrodes throughout the brain, collecting far more precise brain signals than the existing approximately 250 electrodes. They have developed a proprietary surgical robot to enable safe surgery and passed FDA safety tests, indicating commercialization potential. Neuralink plans to use this technology not only to interpret the intentions, emotions, and thoughts of BCI chip recipients and translate them into actions but also to treat patients with neurological paralysis of the brain, spinal cord, and vision through mild electrical stimulation. In the short term, Neuralink aims to apply this medically while gradually expanding the scope to function enhancement and memory storage through brain stimulation, aiming for widespread and everyday use.

BCI device created by Neuralink. Photo by Twitter

Kim Hyung-min, Director of the Bionics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), predicted that BCI technology will ultimately allow people to manage, maintain, and enhance their brains as easily as LASIK surgery. He said, "Once BCI technology is commercialized, virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, which currently have clear technical limitations and limited adoption, will become widespread and completely change our lives. The technology will evolve toward less invasive methods such as wearing devices or implanting skull chips rather than invasive methods requiring surgery, and if supported by AI technology, ordinary people will be able to use it in various ways."