Page - 67 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

Neuronal Interface Systems • 67 Feedback Systems of the Brain and Mind In the previous sections, output interfaces were considered that involved communication technologies that externalise information from the brain. Input interfaces were then examined, enabling signals taken from the outside to be internalised into the brain of an individual. These are characterised as unidirectional devices. But these two technologies can now be brought together, forming interac- tive feedback neuronal interface systems. These would record, for instance, the neuronal activity of a person, which would then be translated to an application that can be examined by the individual for communication and control. The person could, in other words, use the feedback to modulate neuronal activity on an ongoing basis, so that the accuracy of the intended outcome can be improved, forming, as a result, a closed loop system.81 In a way, such a feedback system enables the neuronal interface to be used as a kind of virtual mirror of the actual neuronal activity.82 Closed loop systems usually include the following stages:83 1. externalising brain activity (output); 2. pre-processing and making sure that background noises are addressed; 3. feature extraction that correlates brain signals to a small number of vari- ables defined as features; 4. classification of the signals corresponding to a type of brain activity pattern; 5. translation into a command; 6. feedback in which a user is then informed of the brain activity that has been recognised. Recording of the neuronal output activity can, of course, be achieved in a normal manner through, for example, speaking or gestures that externalise signals from the brain. But it may also take place with an output neuronal interface system that records neuronal activity and sends this information to some form of computer that makes sense of the signal and triggers events or actions. Examination of these events or actions by the individual, enabling possible feedback, can then take place through sight (for example, watching where the external device is moving) or hearing, but also through an input neuronal interface that sends signals via a computer into the neuronal network. In the future, it may also be possible for two or more neuronal interface systems implanted in the brain (for output and input or one that does both) to provide a direct neuronal feedback loop. 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.