The idea of controlling technology just by thinking about what you want to do, without the need for any physical interaction, is a long-standing one that's been a frequent fixture in science fiction's vision of what life will be like in the future.
In the real world it's something that's coming true, not as a novelty but as an aid that will change the lives of many people who have difficulties communicating and are unable to interact with technology because of a physical disability, caused by a disease or injury for instance. In the very worst situations, understanding if a person with a severe brain injury is conscious and aware of their surroundings is very challenging, as they may be unable to move or even communicate.
The first two decades of the 21st century have seen significant progress in the ability of brain-computer interface technology to record and translate brainwaves into control signals that offer new ways of assessing and diagnosing medical conditions after traumatic brain injury.
As well as helping to communicate with unresponsive patients suffering from disorders of consciousness such as unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, minimally conscious states and locked-in syndrome, the techniques under development are being used by patients in rehabilitation following stroke and to help those with a range of physical impairments to communicate.
At the vanguard of this work is NeuroCONCISE, a company spun out from neurotechnology research at Ulster University whose technique for using artificial intelligence to translate brainwaves into control signals was named the first winner of a new E&T-backed prize for Innovation of the Year at the IET's 2018 Innovation Awards. One of 14 category winners who were in the running for the E&T trophy, it also won the prize for best start-up, with the judging panel saying they were "particularly impressed with the innovation and its promise to help improve the quality of life of 'locked-in' patients".
NeuroCONCISE is commercialising a wearable, non-invasive system enabled by artificial intelligence that allows people to communicate and interact with computers without moving, using only their minds. It's predicted to have applications in rehabilitation, diagnostics, augmentative and assistive communication devices and entertainment.
The technology is built around a brain-computer interface that translates changes associated with imagination of movement or perception of a stimulus into commands that allow the user to specify actions or communicate without moving.
Incorporated in any form of headgear, it uses flexible conductive sensors to detect electrical activity in the brain through electroencephalography. Signals are transmitted via Bluetooth to any device running the NeuroPrecise app, which translates them into commands.
NeuroCONCISE is led by CEO Damien Coyle, who is professor of neurotechnology at Ulster, director of the university's Intelligent Systems Research Centre and research director in the School of Computing, Engineering & Intelligent Systems. After completing a PhD involving algorithm development for brainwave analysis and visualisation in 2006, Coyle carried out further research in the same area and in 2009 was awarded substantial funding to trial research with patients at the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Ireland.
Commercial funding from Invest Northern Ireland and a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship led to the creation of the NeuroCONCISE spinout business in 2016. Since then, further backing has come from Innovate UK and Invest Northern Ireland, and seed investment from Innovation Ulster Ltd and Techstart NI.
During that period, the NeuroCONCISE platform has developed into a fully fledged product consisting of the FlexEEG concealable electronics on a flexible substrate for recording brain signals with high precision, NeuroPrecise algorithms that translate brain activity into control signals, NeuroShine clinical assessment and diagnostic augmentation software, and a basic communication and neurotechnology training system known as NeuroReflect. EncephaloCloud cloud-based infrastructure is used for storing, analysing and visualising big brain data in real time from any location.
The company has also developed a video game, NeuroSensi, that helps people recover hand control function after a stroke. It gamifies rehabilitation, challenging patients to improve their ability while they learn to control neurotechnology.
Anyone can create applications to connect to the platform. So far, two of NeuroCONCISE's own end-user apps have been tested with patients: NeuroShine is targeted at people with severe brain injuries and includes consciousness assessment, neuromodulation training and a Q&A system, NeuroReflect, whose suite of games and training applications enable anyone to interact with a computer.
Trials involving patients with brain injuries, spinal injuries and motor neuron disease, as well as able-bodied users including gamers, have shown that NeuroCONCISE can support communication and improve outcomes by making it easier and more cost-effective to assess patients who have prolonged disorders of consciousness, and improve functional recovery in rehabilitation after paralysis caused by stroke. It has also enabled a person with spinal injuries to compete in the 2016 Cybathlon championship for athletes with disabilities and has the potential to determine consciousness in patients in a persistent vegetative state.
As well as the IET Innovation Award, 2018 saw NeuroConcise named one of the UK's 100 best breakthroughs with the potential to significantly improve people's lives in a list compiled by Universities UK as part of the MadeAtUni campaign. The initiative, which aims to change public perceptions of universities and raise awareness of the difference they make to people, lives and communities across the country, also featured a bra to help women undergoing radiotherapy, a toilet that flushes without the need for water and work to protect the quality of the chocolate we eat.
Having secured further seed funding at the start of 2019, NeuroCONCISE is aiming to launch a product and platform version 1 as well as raising further equity investment. As well as its long-standing partnership with the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Ireland, the company has partnerships with NHS sites in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland where it is trialling its technology.
Damien Coyle says an objective for the future is to establish further partnerships with key companies working in the neurotechnology space: "More than 100 million people have difficulties communicating and interacting with technology due to physical disability. Our mission is to change that."
Learn more about NeuroCONCISE at www.neuroconcise.co.uk. This year's IET Innovation Awards, which celebrate the very best new innovations across the breadth of science, engineering and technology, are open for entries until 5 July. Full details are at www.ietinnovationawards.org.