The Great Connection Between Brain and Computer

Chip implantation and wearable device utilization are revolutionizing the way we interact with technology. This innovative technology also improves cognitive ability in elderly people with dementia.

Controlling computers, mobile phones, and driving cars just by thinking is already a reality. In the future, humans will open the black box of their brains and have incredible experiences. Kim Old, Chief Business Officer (CCO) of Emotive, predicted at the 25th World Knowledge Forum, hosted by Maeil Business Newspaper on the 11th, “As the theme of the forum suggests, ‘A Journey Towards Coexistence,’ an era in which humans and machines coexist will unfold with brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.”

BCI creates a direct communication link between the brain and an external device, allowing technology to be controlled with just thoughts. It is expected to be a revolutionary technology, especially for people with disabilities who cannot move their bodies or have difficulty communicating. Old CCO explained, “We have also succeeded in an experiment where a disabled person drove a racing car at 60-80 km/h using only brain signals such as going straight and braking.”

At the session that day, Emotiv’s BCI technology was demonstrated directly, drawing even more attention from the audience. When a medical student came up on stage, wore Emotiv’s brainwave analysis headset, and successfully pushed a cube on a digital screen far away with just thoughts, the audience erupted in applause.

Old CCO emphasized that “everyone will benefit from BCI during the learning process, including information processing, concentration, and checking for cognitive dissonance,” and that “even the elderly with dementia or cognitive decline can dramatically improve their brain function.”

Neuroscientists have developed a treatment that dramatically improves cognitive abilities through games. Adam Gazzali, a professor at the University of San Francisco, believes that ‘experience’ could be the solution. He explains that augmented reality, virtual reality, and wearable devices can be used to create experiences necessary for improving cognitive abilities.

Professor Gazzali said, “We had elderly people play a game we developed with experts for a month,” and “We confirmed that short-term memory and attention increased, and the results of this experiment were published in the international academic journal Nature.”

Paul Jack, a TED celebrity and professor at Claremont Graduate University, said, “Since COVID-19, people have been spending more time alone, which has led to a decrease in job performance and loneliness,” and added, “I studied how emotions motivate the brain.”

Professor Jack emphasized, “A healthy and happy state affects brain plasticity (where brain development continues),” and “the amount of oxytocin hormone in the blood of men who confessed their love increased by 27.5%, showing a positive effect.”