Brain Computer Interface

A Brain Computer Interface is a device that enables people to interact with computer based systems through conscious control of their thoughts. BCI is any system that can derive meaningful information directly from the user’s brain activity in real time. The current and most important application of BCI is the restoration of communication channel for patients with locked-in-syndrome. Most current BCI’s are not invasive. The electrodes pick up the brain’s electrical activity and carry it into amplifiers. These amplifiers amplify the signal approximately ten thousand times and then pass the signal via an analog to digital converter to a computer for processing. The computer processes the EEG signal and uses it in order to accomplish tasks such as communication and environmental control.