Noninvasive Neurotechnology for Man-Machine Interaction
The Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin (BFNT-B) posits that neuroscientific results
can be exploited for developing robust "real-world" applications that have a major potential
for (also non-medical) industry. Similar to the new paradigm of medical research "from bench
to bedside and back", the center brings together a multidisciplinary faculty with the aim of
directly applying insights from basic neuroscience to relevant applications ("from bench to
desktop and back"). The major aim of the BFNT-B is to foster novel noninvasive "brain
reading" techniques to enhance man-machine interactions. Their contributions will be
evaluated, e.g. in the future-oriented field of usability studies for telecommunications
systems and services, or driver-assisted measures for vehicle safety.
The organizational aim of the BFNT-B is to establish a sustainable infrastructure for
the development of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and relevant measurement and
data analysis techniques. It builds on the existing infrastructure such as the Bernstein
Center for Computational Neuroscience, excellence clusters, graduate schools and CRCs,
eventually extending them towards applications. To ensure implementation of the technologies
developed, the BFNT-B is setting up close collaboration with industry.
Furthermore, an Industry Liaison Manager is appointed, with the task to coordinate
science and industry and to assure technology transfer from research to application. The
scientific part, as well as the study program in neurotechnology that is to be established,
will be coordinated by the new chair "Neurotechnology" (W3 professorship), who will
strengthen the cooperation between applied projects and technology projects. The chair will
thereby support the implementation of up-to-date neurotechnology, as it is developed in this
project, with regards to industry-oriented applicability. Moreover, innovative methodologies
of data analysis and novel applications in neurotechnology, especially BCI-techniques, will
be applied to neuroscientific basic research.