Controlling Computers With Neu :: essays research papers

In the classic science-fiction movie Forbidden Planet,space travelers from Earth land on a distant 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 aliencomputers. They do this by connecting themselves to ardent headprobes. By doing this the space travelers thoughts and feelingsare directly conveyed to the alien computer over a neural link.In the science-fiction movie The Matrix, the creative activity isrun by machines that use humans as batteries so sustainthemselves. A group of humans brake the grip of the machines andbegin to wage a war on their metallic oppressors. These great dealare able to fight the machines with the help of computers. Eachone of these race has a jack in the book binding of his or her headthat is connected to a computer. By doing this, the people areable to turn their thoughts, such as dodging bullets and knowin gKung-Fu, into 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 designationwould be the ultimate computer interface, the machine acting asan extension of the human nauseated system itself.(Lusted, Hugh S.and Knapp, R. Benjamin Controlling Computers with Neural SignalsScientific American, October 1996) This applied science 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 crossroads between a human brain and an electronicone remains a formidable challenge.(Lusted, Hugh S. and Knapp, R.Benjamin Con trolling 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 thing to computer thought light rightnow is voice recognition. Voice recognition software has been indevelopment since the 1950s. This software has been availableand affordable for the past three or quatern years to the generalpublic. The purpose of voice recognition software is to allowthe user to dictate words into a microphone that are transformedinto all 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