Bidirectional BCI: What it is and why it matters
Commercial applications, Brain augmentation and Future of brain-computer interfaces
Imagine having the feeling of touching an object miles away from where you are. This scenario is one of the possible applications of a bidirectional brain-computer interface.
As the name suggests, a brain-computer interface (BCI) connects a computer to a brain, either by reading out brain signals or writing in brain signals. As classical brain-computer interface systems move beyond lab demonstrations to real-world applications, BCIs are becoming a strategic topic for tech companies. Indeed, BCIs are poised to become the next must-have consumer gadget.
In my latest project, I had the opportunity to work on a project based on electrical stimulation for a bidirectional BCI. In this article, I will define what we mean by bidirectional BCI, present several commercial applications for bidirectional BCIs, explain the concept of brain augmentation associated with BCIs, go through some disadvantages of electrical stimulation and share my opinion about the future commercial applications using bidirectional BCIs.
