Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University have developed Brainput, a system designed to recognize when a user has an excessive workload and then automatically modify a computer interface to make it easier. The researchers used a portable brain-monitoring technology, known as a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which determines when a user is multitasking. "Brainput tries to get closer to the source, by looking directly at brain activity," says MIT postdoctoral researcher Erin Treacy Solovey. The researchers incorporated Brainput into virtual robots designed to adapt to the mental state of their human controller. The experiment aimed to guide two robots through a maze to find a location where a Wi-Fi signal was strong enough to send a message. As the researchers drove the robots toward the strongest Wi-Fi signal, the fNIRS sensors transmitted information about their mental states to the robots. The researchers found that when the robots' autonomous mode started, the overall performance of the human-robot team improved. "This work is a wonderful first step toward understanding our changing mental state and designing interfaces that dynamically tailor themselves so that the human-computer system can be as effective as possible," says Microsoft researcher Desney Tan.

From "A Computer Interface That Takes a Load Off Your Mind"
Technology Review (05/14/12) Kate Greene
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