Controlling machines with your thoughts sounds cool, but communication is a two-way street.
Elon Musk has long touted the potential for brain computer-interfaces (BCIs) to give humans the ability to control machines with our minds. But communication is a two-way street. What happens when the computers stop receiving commands and start sending them?
A group of researchers in China recently developed a machine interface that allowed them to manipulate what a subject could or couldn’t see. The purpose of the study was to investigate interventions for people with partial or complete loss of sight.
In order to test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted experiments on sedated cats and measured their brain activity as they experienced specific forms of external stimulation.
