  As the proliferation of technology dramatically infiltrates all aspects of
modern life, in many ways the world is becoming so dynamic and complex that
technological capabilities are overwhelming human capabilities to optimally
interact with and leverage those technologies. Fortunately, these technological
advancements have also driven an explosion of neuroscience research over the
past several decades, presenting engineers with a remarkable opportunity to
design and develop flexible and adaptive brain-based neurotechnologies that
integrate with and capitalize on human capabilities and limitations to improve
human-system interactions. Major forerunners of this conception are
brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which to this point have been largely focused
on improving the quality of life for particular clinical populations and
include, for example, applications for advanced communications with paralyzed
or locked in patients as well as the direct control of prostheses and
wheelchairs. Near-term applications are envisioned that are primarily task
oriented and are targeted to avoid the most difficult obstacles to development.
In the farther term, a holistic approach to BCIs will enable a broad range of
task-oriented and opportunistic applications by leveraging pervasive
technologies and advanced analytical approaches to sense and merge critical
brain, behavioral, task, and environmental information. Communications and
other applications that are envisioned to be broadly impacted by BCIs are
highlighted; however, these represent just a small sample of the potential of
these technologies.
