Reading the mind: The potential of electroencephalography in brain computer interfaces

Over the past 15 years the field of brain computer interfaces (BCI) has truly emerged. An increased understanding of the brain has combined with advances in hardware and software to allow us to decode brain activity in real time. This mind reading can be used to provide assistive technologies to restore motor function that has been lost, or even to augment the healthy. There are many different techniques to read brain activity, and this article will discuss the potential of electroencephalography (EEG) BCIs to move out of the lab and into the real world. The EEG signal is very noisy and difficult to analyse but many advances have recently been made in this area. Before the first devices can enter the homes of the disabled, many hardware and software limitations must be overcome via interdisciplinary collaboration. At the University of Auckland, EEG based BCIs have been under development for the past few years. Our laboratory has produced excellent results including an EEG controlled video game, and an EEG phone dialling system. Research is ongoing in this area, with new projects starting for control of prostheses or rehabilitation robots.