Brain–computer connections: what can mind-controlled devices do?

How do brain-computer interfaces work? What achievements does AGH University boast of in this field? Are precision bionic prostheses and robots that interpret human intentions just around the corner?

How advanced are modern brain-computer interfaces, and could the technology for controlling devices with the mind revolutionise medicine, diagnostics and rehabilitation? Why does recording neural activity pose such a huge challenge, and how far are we from the visions of the future found in popular culture, such as bionic limb implants or robots that automatically replicate the intentions of the person controlling them?

Biocyberneticist Professor Piotr Augustyniak explains how existing non-invasive and invasive interfaces work, and what challenges are involved in integrating electronics with living tissue. The scholar also discusses research and projects underway at AGH University, ranging from a ‘lie detector’ based on eye-tracking analysis, through a mind-controlled wheelchair, to retinal implants.

He also shares his thoughts on the potential applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the development of brain-computer interfaces, as well as on the ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of such technologies, including for military purposes.

Professor Piotr Augustyniak
Graduate of Electronics at the now Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatics, Computer Science, and Biomedical Engineering at AGH University. He has been working as a professor at AGH University since 2016. Since 2018, he has been Head of the Department of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering at AGH University. Author of approximately 310 publications, including 9 books and 120 articles (JCR).

Ewa Szkurłat
Journalist, winner of the Polish Pulitzer (for an investigative piece in 2007) and more than 60 Polish journalism awards. Her reports represented Polish Radio at the Prix Europa international festival in Berlin and the Premios Ondas in Barcelona. Nominated twice for the Ryszard Kapuściński Award. In Radio Kraków, she deals with science, ecology, and renewable energy sources.