Astronaut and pilot fatigue has been a major concern of NASA since it first began training humans for space travel. So in the 1990s, NASA Langley Research Center started investigating the "engagement index" to gauge subjects’ attention levels based on their brainwaves. The original study spearheaded several companies that look to help improve focus and attention control and also to, eventually, control ordinary electronic objects with the mind.
The study in “Neurofeedback” began with Dr. Alan Pope, an engineer and psychologist at NASA, who developed a way to monitor pilots' cognitive state to prevent a hazardous state of awareness. His study included flight simulators installed on desktop computers together with electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements obtained via electrodes placed on the scalps of pilots. The desktop simulator was programmed to react to the readings so that when a pilot was engaged, the degree of automation increased, and the manual controls increased when the pilot was less engaged. The goal was to evaluate what degree of automation on flight decks was most beneficial to maximize the concentration; going too far with automation can contribute to boredom and disengagement from a pilot.
An EEG measures the brainwave activity via its brain waves, or its electrical activity, which oscillate at different frequencies depending on the state of consciousness.
Delta waves - the slowest of all frequencies and between 1 and 3.5 Hz— dominate when a person is sleeping. Theta waves, which are a little faster and between 3.5 and 7.5 Hz, indicate creative and daydreaming activity. Alpha waves, between 8 and 12 Hz, prevail in a relaxed and unengaged person. Beta waves, with the fastest frequency between 13 and 30 Hz, correlate with an active brain engaged in brain demanding tasks. This study has inspired several groups to develop software, along with special EEG technology, to detect these waves and use them to improve focus and attention control.
Unique Logic was founded in 1993 by Peter Freer, to develop software to teach people how to sustain their attention in order to complete tasks [1]. Their software called PlayAttention is one of many they have developed to train the person to focus. Thanks to Freer's expertise in teaching math and science to sixth graders, he was able to see the potential of this technology to improve their attention. While teaching, he realized that one method does not work for everybody and that it was also difficult to keep all students engaged. However, he was more puzzled by the details that students could tell about their surroundings and what was going on when asked after they were on breaks or in class daydreaming. He concluded that the attention of these students was scattered and diffused by the inability of their brains to sustain attention. Inspired by Dr. Pope’s research, Freer started thinking about ways to simplify the technology used in his study to help people learn the skills they needed to focus on tasks. After founding his company, Freer expanded this concept to other products, looking to help monitor drowsiness, improve workplace and sports performance, and encourage relaxation. His patented BodyWave technology (now under Freer Logic) replaces the EEG electrode-equipped helmet with a compact armband-like device, which together with the software, looks to strengthen cognitive skills that form the foundation of executive function. Over time, the company has partnered with NASA, the nuclear power industry, US Olympic sports teams, and NASCAR. The company now offers a car headrest to ensure driver's safety by detecting fatigue, drowsiness, cognitive load, and distraction.
Another company called BrainCo Inc, founded in 2015 by a group of Harvard University graduate students, developed a practical way to use EEG reading to monitor student’s attention in the classroom and help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to gain more control over their concentration[2]. They developed a wireless headband for EEG reading and used the NASA algorithm to measure engagement. As of 2019, they have developed products like Focus EDU, which is a classroom system that lets the teacher monitor the class’s attention level in real time, and Focus Family, which uses the same hardware with a smartphone app to create a pseudo digital study buddy for use at home. Another branch of this company, BrainRobotics, focuses on developing functional prosthetics, like a hand that can be controlled with muscle signals.
Both companies, Freer Logic LLC and BrainCo Inc., started with the idea to develop a product that uses biofeedback to help those with ADHD; probably after a report published by Dr. Pope and the Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2001 [3]. The report talks about the positive findings when comparing the effects of video game-based biofeedback on 22 children with ADHD. They concluded that both the video game and standard neurofeedback improved the functioning of children with ADHD substantially above the benefits of medication. Since then, only one of these companies has offered a product to address ADHD, and it has mixed reviews. Scientists are also divided about the subject or using EEG to provide therapy. The main issue is that the commercial product is expensive, that one solution does not work for everybody, and that, in some cases, this might need to be combined with regular therapy to make it work.
In conclusion, several areas might benefit from this biofeedback technology. Hundreds of books try to provide techniques to help us focus and concentrate, more so now that we are bombarded with information and distraction. Neurofeedback products are probably another way to achieve this goal. For sure, BrainCO's focus on prosthetics will be life-changing for many. Hopefully, there will be more studies on its benefits for ADHD, and together with therapy, these can eventually replace the need for medication.
Reference:
1) https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2013/cg_2.html
2) https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/cg_6.html
3) https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2000/00-063.html