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FUTURE WATCH
Thinking It Through
WHO DOESN’T YEARN TO HEAR “YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND”?
That’s the idea behind the Berlin Brain-Computer Interface
(BBCI), shown here, which is being developed by Fraunhofer
FIRST and Benjamin Franklin University in Europe.
The BBCI uses the brain’s electrical activity, in the form of an
electroencephalogram (EEG).
Electrodes attached to the scalp—128 of them—measure the brain’s electrical
signals, which are amplified, transmitted to a computer, and converted into actions.
Users can already control cursors and software applications by imagining motions.
“Electrical activity in the brain reflects the conception of a particular behavior,
such as moving a hand or foot,” says principal researcher Benjamin Blankertz.
BBCI may allow paralyzed people to write documents and control prosthetic and
electronic devices. It could also have a role in next-generation computer games. No
controller required!—SR
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Photograph (right) courtesy of Oakley Photography
SMART
GLASS
Consider the possibilities
of a “mirage display,”
visible one minute
on a pane of glass and
gone the next. Oregon
State University electronics
engineer John
Wager (shown) has
invented the world’s
first transparent integrated
circuit, which
could be the basis of
now-you-see-it, nowyou-don’t
displays.
In conjunction with
a remote sensor, “a
pop-up display could
suddenly be visible to
a driver on a car windshield
to make him
aware of a potential
accident,” says Wager.
There are many other
potential applications
for “smart glass,” from
advertising to medical
concepts. The breakthrough
may even
create entirely new
industries.
Wager developed
the see-through circuit
using the transparent
conductor material
indium gallium oxide.
Hewlett-Packard has
already licensed the
technology for a variety
of products. Keep your
eyes peeled.—SR
MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 19