The interconnected stratum of data known as the “Information Age” has for the last 15 years been in the process of weaving yet another branch into its knowledge-based ecosystem. Perpetuated by advancements in sensor and biometric technology, the field of “neurotechnology” is beginning to ripen and the world responds by aggressively investing.
According to research compiled by SharpBrains, the brain health and wellness resource, brainwave reading technology is becoming increasing pervasive, with the numbers of patents drastically rising from 400 in 2000-09, to 1,600 by 2014 as companies begin to realize that neuro-tech goes well beyond medicine, skidding the line between biometry and augmentation.
“Because of the wide availability and low-cost of the EEG hardware these days, they all seek to define their [unique selling point] and intellectual property (ie patents) based on their fancy analysis techniques and claim to measure things like 'engagement' or 'interest' from EEG signals, explains Matt Wall, of the Center for Imaging Science, at Hammersmith Hospital.
At 100 patents and counting, Nielsen, the information and big data firm, holds the highest number yet, with Microsoft trailing behind at 89 patents for software that can assess mental states. “Neuro-tech has gone well beyond medicine, with non-medical corporations, often under the radar, developing neuro-technologies to enhance work and life,” explains SharpBrains CEO Alvaro Fernandez. Other ventures are attempting to appropriate the technology as an extension of our will, allowing quadriplegics to control robotic limps or jets in flight simulations .
One startup called Thync is even seeking to connect sensors to the brain that can alter mood in much the same way as coffee or energy drinks, a feat that seems a bit too ahead of itself. “Any EEG researcher knows this is absolute rubbish, but they do succeed in producing fancy sciencey-looking graphs and results that appear convincing enough for the marketing people they're selling it to,” states Hall.
How this plays out remains to be seen, but if the current trend is indicative of anything, it’s that we’ve still got a long way to go before brain-to-machine interfaces let us surf the net a la Neuromancer.
Source: BBC
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