ITNOW's Popular Computer Science (or PopCompSci) brings the most exciting stories from around the world of computer science together for a taste of the unexpected ways in which tech is impacting our lives. Here, we tell you how a University of Leeds report shows exciting potential uses for electroencephalography.
From quick diagnosis to increased driver safety and enhanced human-computer interfaces, a team from the University of Leeds has published a report outlining potential future uses for electroencephalography (EEG).
Timed to mark the centenary of the first EEG, the university conducted a survey of experts, asking them to predict future uses for the technology and when these applications might become a viable reality. The results of the survey were published in Nature Human Behaviour.
The report’s co-author, Faisal Mushtaq, Professor of Cognitive Science and Director of the Centre for Immersive Technologies at the University of Leeds, said: ‘I think that EEG, when combined with technologies such as AI and virtual reality, could radically transform the ways in which we interact with machines, and in doing so, play an extremely important role in science and society over the next 100 years.’
The hardware involved in recording EEG is relatively basic, remaining unchanged — in principle — since it was first used by psychiatrist Hans Berger in Germany on July 6, 1924. What has drastically changed since then is the analysis of — and what we can do with — the now digitally-recorded data.
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While the prospect of EEG technology being widely used in gaming and VR, predicted to be only around 20 years away, will thrill gamers, the truly exciting possibility for scientists and clinicians is that this increasing accessibility will allow them to engage with communities traditionally excluded from EEG research.
Real-time, reliable diagnosis of brain abnormalities such as seizures or tumours is believed to be just 10-14 years away, while the probability of reading the content of dreams and long-term memories is judged to be more than 50 years away by some experts.
Another of the paper’s co-authors, Dominik Welke, Research Fellow at Leeds’ School of Psychology, sounded a note of ethical caution. Dr Welke said: ‘I'm sure some of the multi-national tech companies might be very interested in rolling out EEG or other neuroimaging technology, just to get more information on their users that hints at their preferences and emotions 24 hours a day. But should it be used in this way?’
