BBC develops a wearable for changing the channel with one’s mind

Brain-to-machine interfaces, embedded devices allowing humans to communicate and control machines with their minds, are rapidly developing, leading into a future long predicted by science fiction. Not long ago, a team of Harvard nanotechnologists created a neural mesh that may become the precursor for mentally operating electronics; a worthy pursuit with years left of research. For more short term solutions, BBC is seeking to replace the television’s remote control with a brainwave-reading headset that lets users select programs by sheer thought.

The headset is developed in collaboration with the tech company This Place, and uses an experimental version of BBC’s iPlayer on-demand platform together with two electroencephalography (EEG) sensors placed on the forehead and near the ear to read a person’s brain state and transmit binary code to iPlayer interface.

With the hardware in place, a user need only concentrate or meditate on the option this wish to select, and the sudden change in brain waves will swap the channel. Although from the initial test comprising of 10 BBC staff members, it was observed that some had an easier time swapping the channels than others.

“It's an internal prototype designed to give our program makers, technologists and other users an idea of how this technology might be used in future,” explains Cyrus Saihan, head of business development for the BBC's Digital division. Saihan believes that the technology could someday be used by paraplegics and other people with disabilities who may not be able to use a traditional remote.  After all, similar type devices are being used by these very same people to operate prosthetic limbs or control virtual jets with their minds.

“It’s important to stress that it’s very early days and while brainwave reading devices are constantly improving, their capabilities are still quite basic – the outputs on our very experimental app were limited to simple binary on/off instructions, for example.” 

Source: BBC