May 23, 2011 at 20:10Interview with Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor A.Ya. Kaplan
Due to the great interest of the Russian-speaking it-community in such a topic as neuro-computer interfaces and in practical research in this area, the editors of the PROGRAMMIST journal interviewed Dr. A.Ya. Kaplan.
Psychophysiologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Neurocomputer Interfaces (NNKI),
Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after MV Lomonosov,
Alexander Yakovlevich Kaplan
Editorial : Hello, Alexander Yakovlevich. First, tell us a little about yourself, who are you, where are you from, family, children?
Alexander: Everything is like everyone else, and family and children. Place of employment: from student time to the present, the same thing - the Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after MV Lomonosov.
Editorial : Why did you connect your activity with science?
Alexander : It so happened. He started with the unwinding of the alarm, then the compass ... and so it went, now, here, the human brain.
Edition : When did the first such interfaces appear?
Alexander: The first attempts began in the 80s of the last century in Germany to help completely paralyzed people drive and communicate. Such people are closed within themselves and do not have the ability to contact the world, their living brain is devoid of exits. At first they were taught to move the cursor on a computer monitor and answer “yes” or “no”. Then a method was found that allowed us to write: when the letter conceived by the patient appears on the monitor, a clearer peak appears on the EEG. But here the problem of the speed of "writing" arises. And we are also working on it.
Editorial : How did the project come about, whose ideas were fundamental?
Alexander: If you are talking about the design of the IMC brain-computer interface project, then this was a natural continuation of our development of EEG decoding. I wanted to check how much we understand the nature of those electric echoes of brain activity that can be recorded directly from the skin surface of the head. The key question is whether a person will be able to control the characteristic of the EEG, which ones and how quickly. At first, we directly connected the change in these characteristics with the RGB engine of a computer monitor. The subjects were not informed about these subtleties of the study. It turned out that this technical equipment allowed the brain to select its preferred color literally by “the power of thought” and without information from the owner of the brain. It all started with the publication of an article on this subject in the International Journal of Neuroscience in 2005. Then let's go, cars,
Editorial : Who else is working on IMC projects?
Alexander : Dozens of laboratories have been working abroad for 15 years. In recent years, several teams have started in Russia starting with IMC projects.
Prof. A.Ya. Kaplan is conducting another test of the brain-computer interface by controlling a toy car. EEG changes associated with mental commands are interpreted by a laptop computer and transmitted to a typewriter.
Editorial : Sources of financing for the IMC project?
Alexander : Of the most famous: the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR and the Bortnik Foundation).
Edition : Foreign colleagues are surely interested in? Are your works classified?
Alexander: Our work is in line with the global trend of civilian research in this area, which provides for the free exchange of information through scientific journals and conferences. There is nothing secret in our works. True, we are trying to file patents.
Editorial : Are our military interested in IMC?
Alexander : I don’t know this very well, although, undoubtedly, in this area and in the field of preventing antisocial and anti-terrorism activities, it would also be possible to realize the potential of IMC technologies, which by their nature work with human intentions manifested at the EEG level.
Edition : Sensors for IMC of domestic production?
Alexander: “Sensors for IMC” is a whole path: from electrodes to translator commands for actuators. Of course, the electronic elements were foreign, the most modern, even the probes were used, but their connection schemes and all the algorithms, the programs, naturally, ours. Therefore, "Sensors for IMC", obviously, of domestic production. But, if you commercialize them, it turns out that our existing models must be given “for remaking” somewhere to China ...
Editorial : Do you have any publications? Where if not a secret?
Alexander : This cannot be a secret. Publications - this is actually the only reporting documentation of the scientist! Of course, we have publications in leading domestic scientific journals, and in foreign journals of the corresponding profile. Look at our website
brain.bio.msu.ru everything is laid out there for beginner colleagues and for professionals.
Edition : What other projects are you busy with?
Alexander : In addition to several projects with IMC, we continue to study the basic mechanisms of the brain, the nature of some of its pathologies, and we are trying to promote our knowledge of the brain in creating a new generation of Internet social networks.
Editorial : Which literature do you recommend to novice bioengineers?
Alexander : Pribram K. Brain Languages, Woldridge D. Brain Mechanisms, G. Walter Living Brain, DJ DiLorenzo Neuroengineering, TW Berger et al. Brain-Computer Interfaces: An international assessment of research and development trends.
Editors: What would you change, modify in a modern institute of national science?
Alexander : Mandatory international review of applications for research projects.
I would pay attention to the need not only to pump money into science and build new institutions, but to create the optimal science infrastructure so that money and institutions work in the right place, at the right time and are provided with information support.
Editorial : How does knowledge of information technology help in scientific activity?
Alexander : At present, it is 75% of success.
Editorial : Tell us about your hobbies?
Alexander : I love to travel the world and ... do science.
Editors: What are your plans for the future?
Alexander : More and more time to devote to one’s own interests, and less and less to custom-made works ... But, custom-made works provide these very own interests - I’ll probably take up the project of a brush prosthesis controlled by EEG ... and also computer-controlled games from EEG.
I hope this material was interesting to you and, perhaps, will be an impetus to the study of neurophysiology and NCI.
In the end I will give links to a video interview on television with Alexander Yakovlevich:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2iakaklOM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1QJiESXM0E
Psychophysiologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Neurocomputer Interfaces (NNKI),
Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after MV Lomonosov,
Alexander Yakovlevich Kaplan
Editorial : Hello, Alexander Yakovlevich. First, tell us a little about yourself, who are you, where are you from, family, children?
Alexander: Everything is like everyone else, and family and children. Place of employment: from student time to the present, the same thing - the Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after MV Lomonosov.
Editorial : Why did you connect your activity with science?
Alexander : It so happened. He started with the unwinding of the alarm, then the compass ... and so it went, now, here, the human brain.
Edition : When did the first such interfaces appear?
Alexander: The first attempts began in the 80s of the last century in Germany to help completely paralyzed people drive and communicate. Such people are closed within themselves and do not have the ability to contact the world, their living brain is devoid of exits. At first they were taught to move the cursor on a computer monitor and answer “yes” or “no”. Then a method was found that allowed us to write: when the letter conceived by the patient appears on the monitor, a clearer peak appears on the EEG. But here the problem of the speed of "writing" arises. And we are also working on it.
Editorial : How did the project come about, whose ideas were fundamental?
Alexander: If you are talking about the design of the IMC brain-computer interface project, then this was a natural continuation of our development of EEG decoding. I wanted to check how much we understand the nature of those electric echoes of brain activity that can be recorded directly from the skin surface of the head. The key question is whether a person will be able to control the characteristic of the EEG, which ones and how quickly. At first, we directly connected the change in these characteristics with the RGB engine of a computer monitor. The subjects were not informed about these subtleties of the study. It turned out that this technical equipment allowed the brain to select its preferred color literally by “the power of thought” and without information from the owner of the brain. It all started with the publication of an article on this subject in the International Journal of Neuroscience in 2005. Then let's go, cars,
Editorial : Who else is working on IMC projects?
Alexander : Dozens of laboratories have been working abroad for 15 years. In recent years, several teams have started in Russia starting with IMC projects.
Prof. A.Ya. Kaplan is conducting another test of the brain-computer interface by controlling a toy car. EEG changes associated with mental commands are interpreted by a laptop computer and transmitted to a typewriter.
Editorial : Sources of financing for the IMC project?
Alexander : Of the most famous: the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR and the Bortnik Foundation).
Edition : Foreign colleagues are surely interested in? Are your works classified?
Alexander: Our work is in line with the global trend of civilian research in this area, which provides for the free exchange of information through scientific journals and conferences. There is nothing secret in our works. True, we are trying to file patents.
Editorial : Are our military interested in IMC?
Alexander : I don’t know this very well, although, undoubtedly, in this area and in the field of preventing antisocial and anti-terrorism activities, it would also be possible to realize the potential of IMC technologies, which by their nature work with human intentions manifested at the EEG level.
Edition : Sensors for IMC of domestic production?
Alexander: “Sensors for IMC” is a whole path: from electrodes to translator commands for actuators. Of course, the electronic elements were foreign, the most modern, even the probes were used, but their connection schemes and all the algorithms, the programs, naturally, ours. Therefore, "Sensors for IMC", obviously, of domestic production. But, if you commercialize them, it turns out that our existing models must be given “for remaking” somewhere to China ...
Editorial : Do you have any publications? Where if not a secret?
Alexander : This cannot be a secret. Publications - this is actually the only reporting documentation of the scientist! Of course, we have publications in leading domestic scientific journals, and in foreign journals of the corresponding profile. Look at our website
brain.bio.msu.ru everything is laid out there for beginner colleagues and for professionals.
Edition : What other projects are you busy with?
Alexander : In addition to several projects with IMC, we continue to study the basic mechanisms of the brain, the nature of some of its pathologies, and we are trying to promote our knowledge of the brain in creating a new generation of Internet social networks.
Editorial : Which literature do you recommend to novice bioengineers?
Alexander : Pribram K. Brain Languages, Woldridge D. Brain Mechanisms, G. Walter Living Brain, DJ DiLorenzo Neuroengineering, TW Berger et al. Brain-Computer Interfaces: An international assessment of research and development trends.
Editors: What would you change, modify in a modern institute of national science?
Alexander : Mandatory international review of applications for research projects.
I would pay attention to the need not only to pump money into science and build new institutions, but to create the optimal science infrastructure so that money and institutions work in the right place, at the right time and are provided with information support.
Editorial : How does knowledge of information technology help in scientific activity?
Alexander : At present, it is 75% of success.
Editorial : Tell us about your hobbies?
Alexander : I love to travel the world and ... do science.
Editors: What are your plans for the future?
Alexander : More and more time to devote to one’s own interests, and less and less to custom-made works ... But, custom-made works provide these very own interests - I’ll probably take up the project of a brush prosthesis controlled by EEG ... and also computer-controlled games from EEG.
I hope this material was interesting to you and, perhaps, will be an impetus to the study of neurophysiology and NCI.
In the end I will give links to a video interview on television with Alexander Yakovlevich:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2iakaklOM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1QJiESXM0E