Imagine if, instead of unlocking your phone, inputting your password, opening your contacts list and selecting a contact to call, you need only concentrate for a few seconds and the function would happen automatically.
This type of technology is not yet on the verge of becoming mainstream, but the first steps towards mind-controlled devices have been taken.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have conducted a study exploring the feasibility of brainwave-based authentication, the latest step in biometric authentication.
Biometrics such as retina scans and voice identification are considered more secure than standard passwords, being impossible to forget, as well as difficult (and gruesome) to steal, but they are also expensive, slow and intrusive, according to UC Berkeley's report. Traditional electroencephalograms (EEGs) are even more invasive than other biometric technologies, involving between 32 and 256 electrodes attached to an individual's head, often with conductive gel.
However, consumer-grade headsets that are more practical and less invasive are now available. The Berkeley team used the $100 Neurosky Mindset, which uses a single dry contact touching the user's forehead, and connects to a computer wirelessly using Bluetooth. Apart from the (admittedly strange) forehead contact, the headset looks like a normal pair of headphones.
Participants in the study performed general tasks that were common across the whole group, such as focusing on their breathing, while the headset recorded their brainwave patterns and researchers attempted to identify unique signatures. Participants also performed more individualised tasks, such as thinking a thought or imagining a favourite song.
Both tasks provided enough EEG data to ensure secure authentication, meaning that even a simple, universal action such as focusing on breathing could be sufficient to provide a secure brainwave-based password.
"We find that brainwave signals, even those collected using low-cost, non-intrusive EEG sensors in everyday settings, can be used to authenticate users with high degrees of accuracy," the researchers conclude.
Thinking about tablets
Of course, wearing a silly headset just to unlock your tablet wouldn't really be worthwhile, but researchers are also working on far more advanced mind-control functionality in mobile devices.
Samsung has collaborated with Roozbeh Jafari, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas, Dallas, to push the limits of how much we can do on a tablet with just our minds, reports the MIT Technology Review.
Samsung's recent Galaxy S4 release included two new input modalities - eye movement and gesture - over and above, the now-standard keyboard, touch and voice; but the smartphone maker has its eye on even broader methods of device interaction.
The research aims to provide more connection options for people with impaired mobility.
Part of the challenge the team is working on is the improvement of EEG technology. The UT Dallas study used a dry EEG, which is quicker and more comfortable than a wet or gel EEG, but tends to be less sensitive. The group is working on extracting important information from the weak and "noisy" EEG signals that will accompany more consumer-friendly EEG devices.
The research found that people concentrating on a blinking icon were able to turn a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 on or off, launch an application, and select items within an application such as a contact or song. The speed of interaction depended on the individual, said the researchers, and accuracy rates were between 80% and 95%.
Jafari predicts that reliable, convenient and slimmed-down EEG contacts could become like "a cap that people wear all day long".
Just swiping a finger over a tablet for a few seconds could prove easier than donning special gear to interact with a device, but with wearable technology on the rise, perhaps EEG caps could actually catch on. As long as they don't clash with the Googley eyes.
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