A research team from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in South Africa has made a breakthrough in biomedical engineering. For the first time, scientists have connected the human brain to the Internet in real time, according to a study published in Medical Express. A project called Brainternet is turning the brain into a part of the Internet of Things.
With the help of an EEG sensor Emotiv, fixed on a person's head, the system records brain impulses. Then the signal is transmitted to the Raspberry Pi microcomputer, which transmits data in real time to the program and to a site open to all.
Project Manager Adam Pantanowitz says: “The Brainternet system is a new milestone in the development of the neurocomputer interface. There is a lack of readily available data on how the human brain works and operates with information. With the help of Brainternet, it will be easier for a person to understand how his own brain works and the brains of other people. This became possible because the system constantly monitors the activity of the brain and provides some interactivity."
The muscles of the intellect
According to Pantanowitz, the development of the project is just beginning. He adds that the developers intend to achieve more interactivity in the interaction of the user and the brain. Some functions are already presented on the site, but there are not so many of them: these are actions like moving your hand. “In the future, Brainternet will be able to transfer data to a smartphone application, and they will be used in machine learning. In the future, we will be able to achieve two-way transmission of information - from the brain to the system and vice versa,”said Pantanowitz.
The project will help develop machine learning and neurocomputer interfaces like Elon Musk's Neural Lace and Brian Johnson's Kernel. With the help of the data obtained during the work on the project, specialists will be able to better understand the work of the brain and use this information to increase the intellectual abilities of a person.
Anton Komarov
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