Seite - 79 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

Neuronal Interface Systems • 79 thoughts should remain confidential. The media have even speculated that such technology could, one day, bring about some form of telepathy through the continuous use of brain scans. In this respect, some ethicists do not see any difficulties, in principle, with the development of decoding technologies as long as they are used in the right way. As such, they suggest that brain data should not be considered any differently from other forms of evidence in a court.150 Commercially Available Feedback Neuronal Interfaces A range of commercially available games and other applications that employ feedback neuronal interfaces using EEG are already in existence. These range from simple games with the aim of building monuments from a number of blocks151 to more complex three-dimensional games, such as making a ball hover in a vertical tube.152 In this regard, the least physically intrusive forms of technology are those that can be worn and taken off at will. In other words, they have no perma- nent connection, require no modification of the user’s body and are simply worn like a piece of clothing. Moreover, the non-intrusive nature of these items means that they can easily be tested on people with disabilities. The EMOTIV Interface Founded in 2011, EMOTIV is a company that claims its researchers span over 100 countries. Its website indicates that it ‘is a bioinformatics com- pany advancing understanding of the human brain using electroencepha- lography (EEG). Our mission is to empower individuals to understand their own brain and accelerate brain research globally’.153 Their products are a series of headsets with up to fourteen electrode pads that rest firmly against specific locations on the user’s scalp. A connection links the headset to a computer. There are two ways of using the devices. The first is a passive use in which the player puts on the headset, which then records patterns of activity. In gaming environments, the headset can then respond to the general level of attention, excitement or alertness. If the person is considered to have become bored, it may introduce a new character or challenge. As such, the game can tailor its level of play to each gamer’s needs and experience. Alternatively, users can learn to control their brain activity by, for example, deciding to think of a colour or a game of tennis. With practice, each of these mental activities can produce detectable patterns. Individuals with severe dis- abilities have found this use very helpful as a means of sending signals to a computer to initiate certain tasks. This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.