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"Brainput" Boosts Your Brain Power By Offloading Multitasking To a Computer
MrSeb writes "A group of American researchers from MIT, Indiana University, and Tufts University, led by Erin Treacy Solovey, have developed Brainput — a system that can detect when your brain is trying to multitask, and offload some of that workload to a computer. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is basically a portable, poor man's version of fMRI, Brainput measures the activity of your brain. This data is analyzed, and if Brainput detects that you're multitasking, the software kicks in and helps you out. In the case of the Brainput research paper (PDF), Solovey and her team set up a maze with two remotely controlled robots. The operator, equipped with fNIRS headgear, has to navigate both robots through the maze simultaneously, constantly switching back and forth between them. When Brainput detects that the driver is multitasking, it tells the robots to use their own sensors to help with navigation. Overall, with Brainput turned on, operator performance improved — and yet they didn't generally notice that the robots were partially autonomous. Moving forward, Solovey wants to investigate other cognitive states that can be reliably detected using fNIRS. Imagine a computer that increases the size of buttons and text when you're tired, or a video game that slows down when you're stressed. Your Xbox might detect that you're in the mood for fighting games, and change its splash screen accordingly. Eventually, computer interfaces might completely remold themselves to your mental state."
I think this is how the borg began!
If this comes to pass I can just see the 'splash' screen of just about every male on the planet, and it sure as *hell* ain't gonna be a 'fighting game'.
to understand what they are talking about. And I am even singletasking.
If systems oriented to our state were available, it doesn't really provide as much opportunity for growth. If its always oriented to what we know and want, it wouldn't suggest alternatives to explore. Besides, when I play a game, I usually start out stressed, in order to releive that stress. You wouldn't want your initial state to be used. The adrenaline from playing is what actually gets me pumped.
The hard part was finding an experiment where they could use the phrase "offload some of that workload to a computer" without a needing cogitative brain interface for the experiment.
blog.sam.liddicott.com
Moving forward, Solovey wants to investigate other cognitive states that can be reliably detected using fNIRS. Imagine a computer that increases the size of buttons...
Um, WRT to those "buttons", all successful technology is first rolled out for pr0n...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Enhancing the brain by waking some of the ~90% which is unused would almost certainly yield more practical results.
We use 100% of our brains.
Here's my question: Why?
I don't even know what this means
They are offloading multi-threading, multiple robots in a maze doing the same task.
They are not offloading multi-tasking, like I'm currently simultaneously thinking about: /.
1)
2) a really slow data importer I should be fixing, but my brain needs to decompress to unconsciously determine the solution.
3) pr0n, of course.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
I see you are writing a letter. Would you like me to:
- interrupt your work flow and blink at you blankly
- auto capitalize, and bullet whatever you are typing
- hide your menu items based on usage
etc, etc...
Because when I am heavily multi-tasking and am concentrating intensely, it would really help to get some unexpected interface changes and "helpful" suggestion pop-ups.
Clippy: I see that you are trying to work. Would you like me to interrupt everything and change your workspace?
Computer: It appears you have an erection. Would you like some porn?
Human: I have only 8 more minutes before Wapner, make it quick.
Computer: I will provide you with the top 3 most downloaded clips of the day.
Human: Sure.
Computer: No increase in breathing or heartrate detected, switching to kink mode:
Computer: Kink mode activated.
Human: Umm...
Computer: Response noted. Increasing blood supply to right forearm.
Not to pick nits, but offloading functions to a computer does nothing to boost brain power. Brain power remains constant in this scenario. However, the productivity and ability of the individual is enhanced, but technology has always done that.
So now I can play WoW and offload having sex with the wife?
Now, over time, the infrared waves of the fNIR scanner will bake the brain and thus the computer control will take over all tasks over time and the humans will no longer be needed, nor mentally active.
Sounds useless and contrived to me. It detects high "brain cpu" load for a specific task and then takes over controlling the robots. The computer might as well take over most control of the robots in the first place, since it HAS ALREADY BEEN PROGRAMMED to be able to do that!
If you really want computers to augment humans,
once you have a wearable computer+sensors that are sufficiently advanced you can have them do the following:
1) Continuous video+audio recording in high res of past X minutes, and low res for longer periods. This way you don't have to miss stuff - you can tell the computer to switch to high res till further notice (the past X minutes would already be in high res) and then save it. Eidetic memory for the masses!
2) Continuous background image recognition (look for faces or objects - military version = gun muzzle detection, vehicle detection, anti-camouflage )
3) Continuous background audio recognition (voice etc[1]).
4) GPS+ map + compass direction feedback.
5) Work with "area/location computers" (so that you can more easily control/access location specific stuff - lights, jukebox, climate control, menus, ordering systems).
6) Many more stuff - see below too.
If brain computer interfaces become safe, reliable and good, you could use stuff like "thought macros". For example a fancy computer program would let me link certain thought patterns with certain actions or objects.
That way I can do: [start command][recall object]<some thought pattern>[go][end]. And then the computer recalls the relevant object which could be a video, photo, sound, file or whatever.
I can also do [start command][recall previous][go][send to]<thought pattern of friend>[go][end]. Or get the computer to help calculate stuff, search databases. Or even do "rain man" counting (you could get the computer to highlight/mark the objects it is counting so that you can countercheck that it is counting correctly - humans are OK at detecting if something should be highlighted by the computer and isn't - counting large numbers of stuff fast isn't our forte ).
Thought patterns in square brackets are commands. Though patterns in angle brackets are various thought patterns you choose to associate with a person or item.
Someone smart can probably work out the details and improve on the idea - I hope someone does soon - I'm getting old waiting for the future to arrive. Put it all together you'd have humans with eidetic memory, telepathy, telekinesis, and other super/magical powers. The technology is already mostly there - we've already got some sort of telepathy with mobile phones etc. Heck in the 1990s I was hoping wearable computing would take off and we'd already have this "magic" by now.
The main hindrance to progress I see would be copyright and patent law. You'd be crippled by DRM and you wouldn't be able to walk into a cinema without all that stuff being forced off.
[1]Military versions could also do sniper location assistance from "crack-thump", possibly more accurate if sharing data from teammates - assuming all clocks are high res and synchronized - and teammate positions are known accurately (could be possible with UWB).
With this technology we could start arresting criminals even before they commit the crime! Imagine the money saved by not having to investigate anything or in medical bills of the potential victims!
Especially this:
Imagine a computer that increases the size of buttons and text when you're tired, or a video game that slows down when you're stressed.
Do. Not. Want.
Someone had to do it.
Let the little human pretend he's in control, but put those functions back on a CPU the moment he starts slipping up.
Seriously, if a task can be offloaded to a computer, that's where it belonged in the first place. [Outside some sort of educational/cultural endeavor for the brain in question.]
-1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
"I see you're trying to do several things at once. Which jobs may I screw up for you?"
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Eventually, computer interfaces might completely remold themselves to your mental state.
enhance your calm, citizen?
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Our pattern recognition abilities are still better than computers, although the gap is closing. Much of our pattern recognition capabilities are not conscious but can be utilized anyway.
I think most people mean the 90% we "don't use" is part of our mind that is not conscious. That's pretty accurate in a way.
There's a good BBC Horizon episode called "Out of
Control" How Big is the Unconscious Mind? It gives some awesome examples of harnessing the power of our unconscious mind.
One intriguing example is using a person wired up to measure brain response to identify objects of interest to the military in satelite imagery. These are very high resolution images and take a long time to analyze using normal means. But you can use the pattern recognition powers of the unconscious mind to speed up the process without compromising accuracy. One image is cut up into many smaller images and these are then shown in rapid sucession to the analyst. Some images trigger neural patterns which are associated with interest, object recognition and so on. These images are then set aside and further analyzed using traditional methods including brute force human scanning of the images. Accuracy stays good and output is increased.
Cool huh?
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Oh yeh ... a weird thing about breathing is that it's the only autonomic function that is fully wired with somatic nervous control too. Our breath works unconsciously but unlike other autonomic functions like heartbeat and so on it can be consciously controlled without lots of practice. This can be used to practicle advantage. By using the breath as an object of attention during meditation and by consciously controlling our breathing we can help to reprogram the autonomic functions of our bodies. This happens because both sets of nerves are firing together (the somatic and the autonomic) so the autonomic system is trained too.
Not to mention that it's your body telling you to "STOP what you're and GO TO SLEEP FOR FUCK'S SAKE".
Agreed. If a task can be partially automated then it should be partially automated all the time, except then a user wants finer control. There is no benefit to having the user do more work that could otherwise be automated, no matter the users mental state.
I never referred to my studies as "bra input" like they did but I guess that's what it takes to get funding. All my research has been self-funded...
It's a bit misleading to call fNIR a "poor-mans" fMRI. They are very different beasts that address different problems. NIR sits somewhere in-between EEG and fMRI. It's faster than fMRI (but not as fast as EEG) and has better spacial resolution than EEG (but not as good as fMRI). The real weakness of NIR is that it can only measure a few centimeters into the brain. But at least you don't need to sit in a claustrophobic magnet.
Having the user participate somewhat all the time keeps them active and aware of current conditions in case of a crisis of some kind.
Yeah. Thanks, but I can tell when I'm tired and adjust the computer accordingly, But when I'm that tired, the size of the buttons doesn't matter anyway.
...I have a chance of WINNING a game of starcraft 2???.
Sign me up.
It sounds closer to the Binars of 11001001
Their most definitive characteristic is that they are interconnected with a master computer on Bynaus.
When a Bynar is born, a surgeon removes the child's parietal lobe and replaces it with a synaptic processor.
Eventually, your mental state might completely remold itself to computer interfaces.
Fixed that for you.
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