For the first time in history (and anticipating another of Elon Musk’s initiatives, Neural Lace from Neuralink), a team of biomedical engineers from the University of the Witwatersrandn in Johannesburg (South Africa) has managed to connect a human brain to the Internet in real time . This innovative project is known as ‘Brainternet’ and in essence transmits brain waves to the Internet, turning the brain into an Internet of Things ( IoT ) node on the World Wide Web.
“Brainternet a new frontier in brain-computer interface systems. There is a lack of easily understandable data about how a human brain works and processes information. This system tries to simplify a person’s understanding of their own brain and brain of others through continuous monitoring of brain activity, as well as allowing a certain interactivity. In essence, simplifying a person’s understanding of his own brain and the brain of others, “explains Adam Pantanowitz, project leader.
How did they do it?
Thanks to the use of an encephalogram and an austere Raspberry Pi computer (a simple machine aimed at stimulating computer science in British schools). First, the brain bioelectric activity of an individual was recorded by an electroencephalogram (EEG), through the Emotiv EEG helmet; then, this activity was transmitted to a computer and the computer replicated it in a computer program that runs on an open web – accessible to anyone -, allowing the brain activity of the experiment subject to be seen .
Thus, even the individual himself can recognize what is happening in his head, he can observe in real time the electrical activity of his brain.
“Brainternet can be improved in such a way that it classifies the recordings through a smartphone application that will provide data for a machine learning algorithm. In the future, there could be information transferred in both directions – input and output to the brain”, says Pantanowitz .
Online TV of the brain-machine
At the moment, the Brainternet technology is only available on an intranet of the University of the Witwatersrand for the exclusive use of researchers, but the intention is to increase its potential to have a better understanding of how our minds work and how we can take advantage of that knowledge to increase our brain power.
The biggest obstacle that experts face is the limit of the binary language of computers, based on long rows of ones and zeros, in order to represent human brain activity, which is much more complex and dynamic than that represented in a computer . Therefore, it will be necessary to reduce brain activity to binary language or use other types of machines for which there is not yet availability (such as a quantum computer).
More ideas
The Brainternet project offers a wealth of opportunities for the development of machine learning and could have a significant impact on the world in the development of brain-machine interfaces. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is backing the Neural Lace project that could spell the end of debilitating neural diseases. And businessman Bryan Johnson is also backing a similar project under the name Kernel, for which he has invested $ 100 million. The Kernel neural interface project aims to ‘hack’ the human brain thanks to a brain implant that could help patients with neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, reducing their symptoms.
Reference: University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. 2017
