The U.S. Army has developed a new technology that works to analyze and decode brain signals and potentially help military and intelligence users manage and process visual data, the Army reported Nov. 5.C. Todd Lopez writes that Anthony Ries, a neuroscientist with the Army’s Mission Impact Through Neurotechnology Design program, has helped develop a computer that can interpret brainwaves with the help of an electroencephalogram.
“We want to create a solution where image analysts can quickly sort through large volumes of image data, while still maintaining a high level of accuracy, by leveraging the power of the neural responses of individuals,” Ries said.
“What we are doing is basically leveraging the neural responses of the visual system… Our brain is a much faster image processor than any computer is.”
The research team at the MIND Lab hooked a soldier up to the EEG while he views a series of categorized images on a computer screen.
Ries said images that are of interest to the soldier trigger a particular “recognition response” that the computer works to detect.
An analyst would then flag those images for the automated technology to identify what images the soldier has focused on, the Army added.
The MIND Lab will move forward to further studies that seek to eliminate “noise” from the monitored brain signals and incorporate technology that would read eye movement.
