Table Of ContentThe International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology 12
Gerd Grübler
Elisabeth Hildt E ditors
Brain-Computer
Interfaces in
Their Ethical,
Social and
Cultural Contexts
Brain-Computer Interfaces in Their Ethical, Social
and Cultural Contexts
The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology
VOLUME 12
Editors
AnthonyMarkCutter, CentreforProfessionalEthics, University ofCentral Lancashire,
UnitedKingdom
BertGordijn, Ethics Institute,Dublin City University,Ireland
Gary E.Marchant, Center fortheStudyofLaw,Science, andTechnology, Arizona State
University, USA
Colleen Murphy,University of IllinoisatUrbana-Champaign, Urbana,Illinois, USA
AlainPompidou,European Patent Office, Munich,Germany
SabineRoeser, Delft University ofTechnology, Dept.Philosophy, Delft,Netherlands
EditorialBoard
Dieter Birnbacher, Institute of Philosophy, Heinrich-Heine-Universita¨t, Germany Roger
Brownsword,King’sCollegeLondon,UK
RuthChadwick,ESRCCentreforEconomic&SocialAspectsofGenomics,Cardiff,UK
PaulStephenDempsey,InstituteofAir&SpaceLaw,Universite´deMontre´al,Canada
MichaelFroomkin,UniversityofMiamiLawSchool,Florida,USA
SergeGutwirth,VrijeUniversiteit,Brussels,Belgium
HenktenHave,DuquesneUniversity,Pittsburgh,USA
SørenHolm,UniversityofManchester,UK
GeorgeKhushf,CenterforBioethics,UniversityofSouthCarolina,USA
JusticeMichaelKirby,HighCourtofAustralia,Canberra,Australia
BarthaMariaKnoppers,Universite´deMontre´al,Canada
DavidKrieger,TheWagingPeaceFoundation,California,USA
GraemeLaurie,AHRCCentreforIntellectualPropertyandTechnologyLaw,UK
Rene´Oosterlinck,EuropeanSpaceAgency,Paris
EdmundPellegrino,KennedyInstituteofEthics,GeorgetownUniversity,USA
JohnWeckert,SchoolofInformationStudies,CharlesSturtUniversity,Australia
For furthervolumes:
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Gerd Gru¨bler (cid:129) Elisabeth Hildt
Editors
Brain-Computer Interfaces in
Their Ethical, Social and
Cultural Contexts
Editors
GerdGru¨bler ElisabethHildt
DepartmentofPhilosophy DepartmentofPhilosophy
UniversityofDresden UniversityofMainz
Dresden Mainz
Germany Germany
ISSN1875-0044 ISSN1875-0036(electronic)
ISBN978-94-017-8995-0 ISBN978-94-017-8996-7(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-94-017-8996-7
SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergNewYorkLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014941882
©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht2014
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Contents
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
GerdGru¨blerandElisabethHildt
PartI Applications
2 Brain–ComputerInterfacesandAssistiveTechnology. . . . . . . . . . 7
Ru¨digerRupp,SonjaC.Kleih,RobertLeeb,Jose´ delR.Millan,
AndreaKu¨bler,andGernotR.Mu¨ller-Putz
3 Brain-ComputerInterfacesandDiagnosis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
CamilleChatelle,StevenLaureys,andQuentinNoirhomme
4 Brain-ComputerInterfacesandTherapy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
DonatellaMattiaandMarcoMolinari
PartII StakeholdersandPerspectives
5 Brain-ComputerInterfacesasanEmergingAssistiveTechnology
(AT):TheATProfessionals’Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Evert-JanHoogerwerf,LorenzoDesideri,MassimilianoMalavasi,
MatteoRimondini,andMickDonegan
6 PsychologicalPerspectives:QualityofLifeandMotivation. . . . . . 77
SonjaC.KleihandAndreaKu¨bler
7 EmergingBCIOpportunitiesfromaMarketPerspective. . . . . . . . 85
ChristophGuger,BrendanZ.Allison,andGu¨nterEdlinger
8 BetweenNeuro-potentialsandAestheticPerception.Pingo
ErgoSum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AdiHoesle
9 MyBCIVision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
SonjaBalmer
v
vi Contents
10 TheUsers’Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
VariousAuthors
11 Relatives’Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
PartIII Reflections
12 ATourofSomeBrain/Neuronal–ComputerInterfaces. . . . . . . . . . 131
KevinWarwick
13 PhilosophicalReflectionsonBrain–ComputerInterfaces. . . . . . . . 147
GuglielmoTamburrini
14 Brain–ComputerInterfacesandUserResponsibility. . . . . . . . . . . 163
FiachraO’BrolchainandBertGordijn
15 OnHuman–ComputerInteractioninBrain–ComputerInterfaces. . . 183
GerdGru¨blerandElisabethHildt
16 BCIandaUser’sJudgmentofAgency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
RutgerVlek,Jan-PhilipvanAcken,EvineBeursken,LinseyRoijendijk,
andPimHaselager
Chapter 1
Introduction
GerdGru¨blerandElisabethHildt
Seeingforthefirsttimesomebodywearingastrangecapandbeingconnectedvia
multiple cables to a computer and obviously giving instructions to a technical
devicewithoutmovingevenafingerisprobablyimpressiveforalmosteverybody.
Onecouldeasilybecomeconvincedthata‘mind-readingmachine’isatworkhere
andthattheideathatthethoughtsofhumanbeingsmightbe‘seen’fromoutsidehas
nowfinallycometrue:Justbyusing–whatelse?!–acomputer.Thatthinkingisthe
core human faculty and thus the prime human way of doing something is in line
with at least some of the most important European traditions in philosophy and
religion. If the brain–computer interface (BCI) was a way to shortcut theory and
practice, to take away the persistent dialectic between these two poles of human
existence, they would without doubt be the most philosophical devices ever.
However, learning more about BCIs makes things different. Understanding that
current BCIs use only ‘dull’ signals without any semantic content leads to a
disappointment – measured by the dramatic mind-reading impression one had
before–butthisisanecessarydisappointment.Whileanunrealisticunderstanding
of BCIs raises many of the most spectacular questions in ethics and metaphysics,
therealexistingBCIsrendertheminadequateandrequirerathersoberanddetailed
workinappliedethicsandphilosophicalanthropology.
While for the engineers the most urgent issue at the moment is to bring BCIs
from the lab into everyday life and to make them robust enough to be set up by
laypersons, physicians are probably most concerned whether BCI technology,
given its proper functioning, really has the therapeutic and diagnostic potential
commonlyattributedtoit.Societalquestions,dependingintheirurgencyfromthe
G.Gru¨bler(*)
DepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversityofDresden,Dresden,Germany
e-mail:[email protected]
E.Hildt
DepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversityofMainz,Mainz,Germany
e-mail:[email protected]
G.Gru¨blerandE.Hildt(eds.),Brain-ComputerInterfacesinTheirEthical,Socialand 1
CulturalContexts,TheInternationalLibraryofEthics,LawandTechnology12,
DOI10.1007/978-94-017-8996-7_1,©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht2014
2 G.Gru¨blerandE.Hildt
results engineers and physicians might or might not achieve in the nearer future,
ariseconcerningtheimaginedwidespreaduseofBCItechnology.Ethicalquestions
havetheirfocusontheimmediateriskBCIuseand/orresearchmightbringforthe
involvedpeople,althoughitisnotthephysicalriskfortheuserthatisinthecenter
of interest for the majority of the (non-invasive) applications nowadays. General
philosophicalquestionsinthecontextofBCIrevolvearoundagency,thepersonal
bases of responsibility, and the changing of self-awareness in long-term intense
BCIuse.Alltheseissuesseemtobemutuallydependentoneachotherandmight
contributetothesuccessorfailureofBCItechnologyasatechnologicalparadigm
forman–machineinteraction.
Thus,whatisneededinordertoachievearealisticviewofthecurrentandfuture
uses, opportunities, and risks of BCI technology is an interdisciplinary debate on
thescientific,medical,anthropological,philosophical,ethical,andsocietalaspects
of BCIs. To contribute to such an interdisciplinary discussion, we here present a
bookthatbasedonadetaileddescriptionofthevariouscurrentBCIapplicationsin
medicine, rehabilitation, and assistive technology focuses on the non-technical
implications and impacts BCIs have and might have in the future. In this book,
BCI experts give an introduction to their respective field of work, BCI users and
stakeholders share their experiences, hopes, and criticisms, and philosophers and
authors from the humanities reflect on current and prospective BCI use and
development.
In Part I, three teams of experts give an overview of different ways of using
BCIs.TheyofferanintroductiontothemostcommonfieldsofmedicaluseforBCIs
nowadaysandexplaintheprinciples,achievements,andlimitsofthistechnology.
InChap.2Ru¨digerRuppandcolleaguesfocusonassistivetechnologythatcanbe
used by people with severely restricted motor abilities. They introduce basic
paradigms for BCIs and show how BCIs can be combined with other input
modalities. Applications for communication, grasping and reaching, and assisted
mobilityaredescribedandexplained.InChap.3CamilleChatelleandcolleagues
surveythecurrentattemptstoapplyBCIstotherefinementofdiagnosisinpatients
suffering from different sorts of disorders of consciousness. They point to aston-
ishingfindingsasforinstancethe(rare)possibilitytocommunicatewithcomatose
patients,butalsostressemphaticallytheshortcomingsofcurrentapproaches.Then,
inChap.4DonatellaMattiaandMarcoMolinarigiveanintroductiontousingBCIs
as tools for rehabilitation. They look at several paradigms how to trigger brain
plasticity and to develop it in line with therapeutic aims. On the basis of their
experiences with stroke patients they report some promising study results and
discuss ethical implications resulting from the application of rehabilitation strate-
gieswithouthavingexactknowledgeofthebrainprocessesbehindrecovery.
In Part II, several protagonists of the BCI community present their respective
perspective.Here,thechaptersarenotwrittenbyresearchersinthefirstplace,but
rather by practitioners, businesspeople and, of course, the end users of BCI tech-
nology. Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf and colleagues, in Chap. 5, give an overview of
principles, guidelines, and strategies for matching people with disabilities and the
best-fittingassistivetechnologyinindividualcases.Theyshowhowthequalityand
1 Introduction 3
usability of such devices might be assessed and apply this expertise to currently
available BCI solutions. From that they derive a competent estimation of already
given potentials and further requirements to work in the future. Sonja Kleih and
AndreaKu¨blerfocusinChap.6onpsychologicalaspectsthatmightplayarolein
BCIuse.Theycalltomindhowimportantcommunicationandsocialinteractionis
for the experienced quality of life of the most severely impaired persons and
characterize the role BCI technology might play for them. Furthermore, they
consider the importance of motivation for the successful use of BCIs and report
on ways to boost motivation and to distinguish between different sources of
motivation in motor-impaired users. In Chap. 7, Christoph Guger and colleagues
presenttheperspectiveofthebusinessman.TheyshowhowtrendsinBCIresearch
might turn into market opportunities, especially iftechnologiessurpassthe ‘tradi-
tional’assistiveapplicationsforpatientsorimpairedusersandconquerthegeneral
consumer market. The focus goes from BCI-related devices already available
commercially to promising perspectives for the nearer and farther future and to
someprognosticsconcerningtheopportunitiesandrisksforcompaniesengagedin
theBCImarket.ThatBCIsmightalsoplaytheirroleinthefieldoffineartsisshown
byAdiHoesle,oneofthepioneersofBrainPainting,inChap.8.Hereportsonhis
passion for BCIs and the development of a new aesthetic experience. The admit-
tedly rather limited means of Brain Painting (slow interaction and only a few
optionstochoosecolorsandshapestobedisplayed)openupnotonlyaparticular
‘minimal’ style of artistic expression but also raise fundamental questions
concerningthetheoryandveryconceptofartandthestatusofthematerialpieces
or products thereof. Hoesle also alludes to current developments that extend the
principlesofBCItootherfieldsofcreativehumanexpression.Evenmorepersonal
and private are the insights that Sonja Balmer shares with us in Chap. 9. Being a
motor-impaired artist and campaigner for the rights of disabled people she
describeshowBCItechnologysteppedintoherlifeandhowimportantthe–albeit
modified – restoration of her ability to paint via BCI is for her life and general
encouragement to live. In Chap. 10 the voices of people are depicted who have
taken part in BCI research studies. Their answers to several questions concerning
their motivations, their hopes, their particular experiences with BCIs and BCI
research,andalsotheirdisappointmentsandcriticalcommentsarepresented.Part
IIofthebookconcludesinChap.11withaverypersonalsketchofthelastyearsof
a patient and user of BCI technology. The wife and son of this patient provide us
withthisshortreport.
PartIIIpresentsvariouschaptersonthephilosophical,societal,andanthropo-
logicalimplicationsofBCIs.Westartwithatourofsomebrain/neuronal–machine
interfaces guided by Kevin Warwick in Chap. 12. He systematizes several
approaches of combining neuronal biological tissue with technically construed
hardware. By doing so he describes implications of BCIs for the human techno-
logical co-evolution and the melting of biology and technology. In Chap. 13
Guglielmo Tamburrini provides several philosophical reflections and by doing so
givesanoverviewofcurrent‘BCIethics’.Hestartswiththeepistemologicalstatus
ofBCIsandtheimplicationsofthatstatusfortheautonomyoftheusers.Thenhe
