One aggravating aspect of the assistive technology I use is that I can easily turn off my computer, but I can’t turn it back on without someone else’s assistance. It seems counterintuitive that I should be able to independently turn something off, but not turn it on. According to New Scientist, scientists are looking for ways to solve the “powering on” conundrum, at least as it relates to brain-computer interfaces. The brain cannot be used to send an “on” because current technology cannot reliably distinguish such a command from unrelated thought processes. However, users might be able to send such a signal via other biological processes such as an increased breath or heart rate.
This doesn’t strike me as a sophisticated solution. It doesn’t take much to get my heart rate up. A future where my computer turns on whenever I start thinking about fishnet stockings could be really annoying.
