Mind and Machine: The Next Step in Neuroprosthetics and Brain-Computer Interfaces

Body and Machine
Friday, February 18, 2011: 1:30 PM-4:30 PM
146C (Washington Convention Center )
A more profound understanding of how the brain functions has led to major advances in brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Once considered science fiction, neuroprosthetics are now helping disabled individuals rediscover -- or experience for the first time -- capacities that greatly improve quality of life. Through systems that monitor brain activity and translate it into actions such as moving a wheelchair or selecting a letter from a virtual keyboard, people with disabilities are exploring the world in new ways. This symposium will focus on both noninvasive interfaces, where control comes mainly from electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, as well as interfaces that incorporate implants in the brain. Both forms of prostheses restore patients' experience with the world and blur the lines between humans and machine. Future uses of these technologies may one day allow an augmented human to go far beyond the confines of the body and open new territories of possibility, particularly relevant for paralyzed humans and for people in challenging environments like space.
Organizer:
Michael D. Mitchell, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Co-Organizer:
Christian Simm, swissnex San Francisco
Moderator:
Christian Simm, swissnex San Francisco
Speakers:
Daniel Moran, Washington University
Electrocorticographic Brain-Computer Interfaces
José del R. Millan, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Multitasking with Noninvasive Neuroprosthetics
Gernot R. Müller-Putz, Graz University of Technology
Future Directions in Hybrid Brain-Computer Interfaces
Andrew Schwartz, University of Pittsburgh
Useful Signals from the Motor Cortex
Dennis McFarland, New York State Department of Health and State University of New York
BCIs: Traditional Assumptions Meet Emerging Realities
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