BrainCom

Dr Hannah Maslen portrait
Dr Stephen Rainey

Dr Hannah Maslen and Dr Stephen Rainey

Horizon 2020 Funded Project: High-density cortical implants for cognitive neuroscience and rehabilitation of speech using brain-computer interfaces (#732032).

BrainCom is a Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Proactive project, funded by the European Commission with 8.35M€ for the next 5 years (Dec 2016 - Nov 2021)

BrainCom will develop a new generation of cortical implants for speech neural prostheses applications.

Taking advantage of unique properties of novel nanomaterials such as graphene, 2D materials and organic semiconductors, BrainCom proposes a radically new technology of ultra-flexible cortical implants enabling stimulation and neural activity decoding over large brain areas with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

The results in BrainCom will permit significant advances in the understanding of the dynamics and neural information processing in cortical speech networks and the development of speech rehabilitation solutions using innovative brain-computer interfaces.

BrainCom is coordinated from ICN2 by ICREA Prof. Jose A. Garrido, Group Leader at ICN2 and deputy leader of the Graphene Flagship Biomedical Technologies Work Package.

OUCs Drs Hannah Maslen and Stephen Rainey are leading the work package on 'Ethics, Implants and Society'.

Further information on the project can be found on the European Commission website.

Resources

Journal Articles

Rainey, S.  et al "Is European Data Protection Regulation sufficient to deal with emerging data concerns relating to neurotechnology?" Journal of Law and the Biosciences, (in press)

Rainey, S., Martin, S., Christen, A., Mégevand, P. and Fourneret, E., (2020), 'Brain Recording, Mind-Reading, and Neurotechnology: Ethical Issues from Consumer Devices to Brain-Based Speech Decoding', Sci Eng Ethics, Vol: 26: 2295–2311 [PMC7417394]

Rainey, S., Maslen, H., Savulescu, J. “When Thinking is Doing: Responsibility for BCI-Mediated Action”. AJOB Neuroscience 11:1, pages 46-58, (Feb 2020)

Maslen, H. and Rainey, S., (2020), 'Control and Ownership of Neuroprosthetic Speech', Philosophy and Technology, Vol: 34(3): 425–445
[PMC8550345]

Rainey, S., "Speaker responsibility for synthetic speech derived from neural activity", The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, (In press, accepted 2019)

Rainey, S., Erden, Y.J. Correcting the Brain? The Convergence of Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, Psychiatry, and Artificial Intelligence. Sci Eng Ethics (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00240-2

Rainey, S., Bublitz, C., Maslen, H., Thornton, H., “Data as a Cross-cutting Dimension of Ethical importance in Direct-to-Consumer Neurotechnologies”, AJOB Neuroscience, pp180-182 (Oct 2019)

Rainey, S., Maslen, H, Megevand, P, Arnal, L, Fourneret, E, Yvert, B., “Neuroprosthetic speech: The ethical significance of accuracy, control and pragmatics”, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Vol 29, No 4, Oct 2019, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963180119000604

Rainey, S., "‘A steadying hand’: Ascribing speech acts to users of predictive speech assistive technologies." Journal of Law and Medicine 26.1, October 2018

Books/chapters

Rainey, "Mind reading and Morality" in Edmonds, D., Future Morality, OUP, (2021)

Rainey et al "Practical, Conceptual, and Ethical Dimensions of a Neuro-controlled Speech Neuroprosthesis" in Friedrich O, and Wolkenstein, A (eds) "Advances in Neuroethics series Title TBC" Springer (2021)

Rainey "Data and consent issues with neural recording devices" in Friedrich O, and Wolkenstein, A (eds) "Advances in Neuroethics series Title TBC" Springer (2021)

Astobiza, A., Ausin, T., Ferrer., R., Rainey., S., “The Ethics of Brain-Computer Interfaces”, in Gouveia, S., (Ed.) The Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Exploration, Vernon Press, ISBN: 978-1-62273-872-4, (July 2020)

Media

Rainey, S (2019), TRT’s ‘Roundtable’, on brain enhancements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwMuuyNypMs (25 September)

YouTube

Stephen Rainey, TRT (Turkish Public Broadcast service) 'BRAIN IMPLANTS: What next for neurotechnology?' 25 September, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rwMuuyNypMs