From Toys to Practicality: Brain Computer Interface Technology

Human experience in VR is typically distilled into the words presence and immersion, though immersion is a term used to describe only the technological aspect of VR (Slater & Wilbur, 1997). Instead, the subjective feelings associated with VR are measured in terms of the amount of presence felt in that environment. Intuitively, one would think that photo-realism is paramount to the feeling of presence in a virtual environment, but research has shown that this is not necessarily the case (Zimmons & Panter, 2003), with factors such as bodily representation (Slater & Usoh, 1994) and freedom of body movement (Slater & Steed, 2000) having a greater impact. Interestingly, belief that the virtual environment and real-world environment occupied by the participant are the same increases the feeling of presence in that virtual environment (Bouchard et al., 2012). Some have suggested that, ultimately, cues from other modalities, such as audio and haptic feedback, are necessary for our brain to believe VR experience (Ravassard et al., 2013); however, somewhat surprisingly, strong feelings of presence in VR can be achieved during fMRI, where the head is fixed, and loud noises are occurring (Hoffman et al., 2003). As mentioned, though, presence is greater when the participant has the ability to freely move (Slater & Steed,

Can video games really fend off mental decline? Journalist Clive Thompson from the New York Times plays “Project Evo,” developed by neuroscientist Adam Gazelle. Clive gives us a firsthand experience of the game. “As I maneuvered the surfboard down winding river pathways, I was supposed to avoid hitting the sides,” “which required what Gazzaley said was visual-motor tracking.”

Client was able to reflect the right feelings using her body language and facial features during the game. Client was able to find a suitable solution for her feelings of frustration working in a group by saying, "Next time we will do better." When therapist asked client during the game what her first three thoughts would be if her teacher said "I'm going to call your parents," client reported, "I would ask why, then say I didn't do anything, then tell my teacher that my mom is at work and can't talk." When the client pulled a game card asking when was the last time she talked back, client reported the last time she talked back was when her foster mom refused to let her play outside. When therapist gave client emotions board to identify the three emotions she felt during the session, client reported that she feels joy because she likes the new board game, happy because we plan to talk about controlling anger next session, and surprised because of the new therapist. Therapist praised the client and her thoughts and behavior and client was happy with therapist

This fact is substantiated by the progressive disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This progressive neurodegenerative disease disrupts nerve cells' ability to function (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). It is considered a terminal disease because those diagnosed with the disease die normally within three to four years. Nerve cells commonly referred to as motor neurons act as modes of communication that convey signals to the concerning body part. These messages sent from the brain are the catalyst for all the body’s movement and functions. According to the ASL association, the brain integrates, coordinates, and processes voluntary and involuntary actions (1). The brain works effectively to assure that all processes are performed correctly. Oppositely, those afflicted with ASL are unable to coordinate the body necessary components. This results in limited mobility which results in atrophy.

chose to research the area of psychology - advances in neuroscience. This topic really fascinates me because the brain is so complex and there is so much to still be discovered. In the article Secrets of the Brain, John Donoguhe, a neuroscientist wanted to find a way to help people with paralysis by tapping into the signals from their motor cortex which is the region of the brain where we generate commands to move our muscles. He spent years developing an implant and testing the device on monkeys. In 2005 surgeons successfully installed this device on a woman named Cathy Hutchinson who had suffered a massive stroke leaving her unable to move or speak. Two years after the initial surgery they connected a robotic arm to the computers which allowed

When we need to hire someone here at BCI, it can often feel very overwhelming. I don’t know if we are anything like you, but when we get to the point of hiring, we are typically desperately in need of another person, and it is tempting to just want to fill the position with a person who has a pulse and will show up regularly. We have learned the hard way that while it is tempting to take that stance, it never pans out for us. We, like many of you, have a small, tight knit team, and the way that person can relate to the rest of our team matters.

In the movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, Dr. Vosknocker implants a v-chip into Cartman’s head. The doctor then tells Cartman to say “horsefucker” in which, when Cartman complies, he is shocked. In response to the pain, he unconsciously cries out “Goddamnit” in which he is shocked as well. (Parker, Stone, Brady, 1999) In order to follow the movie’s v-chip, we would have to place the v-chip in two places. The real life v-chip would have to be placed in the right basal ganglia as well as the broca’s area in the left hemisphere. The Broca’s Area is in charge of articulation so if someone were to cuss consciously, then the v-chip would send a shock. The right basal ganglia is in charge of the automatic speech, therefore if someone were to cuss unconsciously, the v-chip would send a shock. The role of the basal ganglia is necessary for automatic speech. It lies embedded beneath the cerebral cortex, playing a role in selecting the relevant motor actions by restricting actions one would not want to perform. (Bergen, 2016) There would need to be a list of words that would be downloaded into the chip, that are banned, consequently shocking the person if the words are used.

These prosthetics use myoelectric signals to function. A myoelectric signal is an electrical impulse that causes a muscle to contract. For an amputee, the myoelectric signals are detected by placing three electrodes on the skin of the stump of the wearer. Two of these electrodes are used to determine the electrical voltage of the myoelectric signals generated by nearby muscles. The third electrode is placed in an electrically neutral area and its detected voltage is used to cancel any electronic noise that may disrupt the other two electrodes. The voltage of the net myoelectric signal is then sent to an amplifier and this data is then processed by a central processing unit (CPU). This processed data is then fed to the prosthetic device, which moves accordingly. Biomedical research is focused currently on directly placing electrodes in the brain instead of at the muscular

Virtual reality, or VR, is an idea that has been around since the 1900’s with some traces of it showing up in the 1800’s. VR itself refers to a three-dimensional environment that can be interacted with in a number of ways, the most common being through VR headsets like the Oculus Rift. Such headsets are designed with lens in front of your eyes to enlarge an LED display, providing a wide range of viewing area and is usually combined with audio to provide an immersive experience. Although this idea has been around for multiple lifespans, it has only recently began to make any major impact on society. VR started catching people’s eye in gaming when the company Oculus released the Oculus DK1 for sale in March, 2013. Although VR has slowly become

“Assistive technology and accessible educational materials create opportunities for students with disabilities to enjoy greater access and meaningful participation in the general education curriculum with their non-disabled peers.” (Schwab 3). It is very important that there are new ways discovered to make an individual feel like one who isn’t disabled, especially when dealing with a mental or intellectual disability. Almost every disability that we are familiar with we don’t know everything about. When scientists discover new ways to cope with a disability whether it be emotional, physical, or intellectual, they will have created a new piece of assistive technology and received more information concerning the disability. There will always be room for improvement when it comes to assistive technology, because it will continuously grow and change with the changing disabilities.

Psychotropic polypharmacy is a silent issue that affects many people taking a medicine to change their psychological state. To combat this problem, the use of recreational therapy should be employed to prevent consequential outcomes. Disorders like autism, PTSD, and depression related to aging have evidence that the power of playing does work. The medical community has an obligation to their patients to seek healing outside of the pharmaceutical realm. Awareness is the key to revealing the advantages of recreational therapy to doctors. Education is the key to changing the way doctors and consumers think. Recreational therapists should share the benefits in a meeting with doctors, attend health fairs to make the profession known and providing

Since gaming is exceptionally popular in our society today, I believe that my proposed game would be very successful with spreading this information. Mental illness is a very interesting and important topic to me, and informing people about this problem could make a huge difference with treating and helping those

Video games can improve visual skills and brain function. Video games increase spatial awareness. When playing different video games eyes are focused on a video game a person are more likely to gain different eye strengths after training the brain. Action video games train the brain to better process certain visual information. When people play action video games, they’re changing the brain’s pathway responsible for visual processing (Masnick 1). Video games change brain functions. Researchers today are reporting that first-person-shooter

#2) Make a move distinctive : It is often more pleasurable to spend time playing games of which display all of our competences and not promote all of our ineptitude, but simply trying to play toward ones benefits is not since advantageous when facing an individual's weak spots. Brain games make the perfect program to help problem all by yourself with techniques that the everyday activity isn't going to.

But before that one must ask whether these games increase brain function to a beneficial point by examining the effects on one’s brain, one must also examine the changes in their performance periodically and lastly the practicality of the “brain games” (how easy and simple are they?)