Brain-Computer Natural-Language Interface ● What is it? An interface between the brain and a computer that enables natural language communication within the brain to be translated to external format a computer can understand. Ie, think it and a computer reads it ● Motivation: help people with severe neuromuscular disability, the ultimate means of interaction with any technology without verbal speech or typing. It's “mind reading”!

Related BCI Research ● Reading thoughts with EEG – Abject Failure, Fujimaki 1990 ● Duke ● Graz Brain-Computer Interface: uses

Modern Brain-Computer Interfaces

Neuromuscular Techniques to Read Language from the Brain ● The twist: use neuromuscular readings of the - motor- regions associated with speech in lieu of reading the thoughts themselves ● Obtain this information in real-time through use of brain imaging ● Use a pseudo-language Graz-style if necessary – project still has other “twists” which make it worthwhile ● Use a neuroelectric implant if sufficient resolution cannot be obtained with brain-imaging

Language of Choice ● Since muscular motions of the lips will require extremely high resolution to distinguish, use a different means of communication ● Sign language has broad, distinct muscle activity ● Limit our “language” to a small set of words in a particular type of language (ALS, TLS, ULS) ● Identical neurolinguistic activity as verbal language ● Proof-of-concept for more refined study ● Or, perhaps it'd be useful in itself.

Interpretation of Brain Activity ● With either brain imaging or direct neuronal activity, a calibration period will be needed to map neural motor activity to particular signs ● The Duke monkey project mapped for 12 and 24 months per monkey. Using the robust algorithms they generated, we'll map for much less. ● Motor mapping software will have to be adapted from existing neuroanalysis libraries ● Sign language output can be translated directly using existing algorithms and software into words (Su et al.) ● The final output can be converted to audio or can be linked to control processes within a computer

Follow-up Studies ● The most natural is to make a “lipreader” that translates muscle motion of the lips into thoughts ● Such a product would be directly implementable as a commercial or medical product. ● Other neurotechnology studies: brain “input” devices ● As technology grows more refined, skip the motor cortex altogether and access the premotor cortex.