robertc@sco.COM (Robert Chansky) (11/29/90)
This is a request for information. Someone here posted, not long ago, that a simple form of thought translation was possible via EEG equipment hooked to computer software. If someone has any more information about this issue I would appreciate hearing from them. If the equipment isn't too expensive, I'd like to fiddle with it and see if I can come up with anything, using a neural net approach. -- #### # # # # # # # # # ### # ## #### # # ### ## # # ### # # # # # ## # ## # # ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ## # # ## ## # # #### # ##### # # # # # # # # # # # ### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## # ## # # ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### # # # # # # # # # ### # ## #### # ### # # # # Robert Chansky, smq@ucscb.ucsc.edu, robertc@sco.com, uunet!ucscc!ucscb!smq, etc.
chris@ug.cs.dal.ca (Chris Robertson) (12/01/90)
In article <11924@milton.u.washington.edu> robertc@sco.COM (Robert Chansky) writ es: > > This is a request for information. Someone here posted, not long >ago, that a simple form of thought translation was possible via EEG equipment >hooked to computer software. If someone has any more information about this >issue I would appreciate hearing from them. If the equipment isn't too >expensive, I'd like to fiddle with it and see if I can come up with anything, >using a neural net approach. I dont know if this is what you're thinking of, but i've recently read of something in this vein. Seems that at some South US school (cant remember) someone wanted a hands-free flight simulator. Well, the idea is so simple, you'll groan. Certain classes of neurons in the early stages of the optic nerve, just behind the eyeball and beneath the temple, are already sympathetic to a frequency somewhere around 13 hz. Now the EEG alone is a mess - a DSP nightmare for analysis. But what they did is mount four flourescent bulbs around the edges of the display and had them flickering at 13 hz (or whatever the exact figure) - anyway, this reinforced the 13 hz-resonance activity already occuring in the optic nerve. The signal was then quite easy to pick out against the background noise of the EEG. Then apparently with a bit of training aided by a simple bio-feedback display, one can learn to grossly 'control' the strength of these resonances, as well as shift the frequency distribution within a very narrow band around 13 hz. Like learning a new muscle. Ever try to wiggle your ears? anyway, with 2 parameters of the signal now user controllable to a sufficient extent for the computer to distinguish them, four separate inputs could be translated into one of 4 signals. Yep, you guessed it - left, right, up, and down. EXTRA cool IMHO. So there you go - its gross, but its a start! - Chris Robertson chris@ug.cs.dal.ca
FC137501@YSUB.YSU.EDU (Paul M. Mullins) (12/02/90)
> This is a request for information. Someone here posted, not long > ago, that a simple form of thought translation was possible via EEG equipment ------------------- > Robert Chansky, smq@ucscb.ucsc.edu, robertc@sco.com, uunet!ucscc!ucscb!smq . I belive the original posting (I don't recall the author) did imply "thought translation," however my posts consisted mainly of pointers to the literature on "evoked potentials" (and a few specific references for J. Vidal). NONE of my research indicated the ability to perform what might (reasonably) be called thought translation. Rather, certain specific events caused a reaction which could be measured (in this case by EEGs), hence the name evoked potentials. Interpretation of the measured response is, to my knowledge, an open question. It could be used for simple interface tasks such as controlling the display rate of text on the screen for example, but not to select an icon - unless you cycle through each possibility, providing semantic feedback, and wait for the user to "react" to one. This might be useful for the physically impaired, but better interface tools exist already (for most of us). My favorite comparison is voice interfaces, which are becoming quite good, but still are not widely used. But enough cold water, I look forward to learning that you have been more successful. I will be happy to provide more information on request. Paul M. Mullins Dept. of Math. & Comp. Sci. (216) 742-3796 Youngstown State University mullins@macs.ysu.edu Youngstown, OH 44555 FC137501@YSUB