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Overview

BCI-fi is science fiction that includes BCIs [1]. BCIs are not new in science fiction, and they seem to be increasingly prominent. This page uses the well-established definition of BCIs from the BCI literature [e.g., 2-5] and our BCI Society definition, with the caveat that “passive” BCIs are considered BCIs here [6]. I also use a broad definition of “science fiction” here. Some of the BCI-fi here might be considered drama or romance in which BCIs are not central and might have been replaced with non-technical options without dramatically changing the story.

This page contains some information about BCI-fi related activities, numerous BCI-fi stories, a few publications about real BCIs, references, and other information. You can also find a 2024 lecture about BCI-fi here on this YouTube channel.

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Pages within bcifi.org with more info

About me and us

Other BCI-fi activities

Other work that analyzes BCI-fi

Related groups and awards

Recurring components of BCI-fi

Analytical framework for BCI-fi

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BCI-fi stories

The “# pages” reflects the number of pages in Word. Each story includes Author Commentary with discussion of realism and altruism/hope.

Better stories are higher on the list.

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SHORT-SHORTS (<1 page)

Most of my stories are under a page. It’s a good way to practice brevity. More importantly, people are more likely to read shorter stories.

<1 page: BaCkup Identity by BZA

<1 page: PowerStreaming (prequel) by BZA

<1 page: Bad auCtIon by BZA

<1 page: Battle ChIldren by BZA

<1 page: headBand CInema by BZA

<1 page: The General by BZA

<1 page: BaitCoIn farming by BZA

<1 page: Beneath ChIcxulub by BZA

<1 page: Better reCollectIons by BZA

<1 page: BeCalmIng by BZA (sequel to Better reCollectIons)

<1 page: But you Can unsee It by BZA (also about memory revision)

<1 page: Burning CalorIes by BZA (loosely about memory revision)

<1 page: BioCompatIbility by BZA

<1 page: Bowman’s deCeIt by BZA

<1 page: Binet misCalculation by BZA

<1 page: BitChIng by BZA

<1 page: Below CapacIty by BZA

<1 page: Brain Compyouter Interface by BZA

<1 page: Building CommunIcation by BZA

<1 page: Blind deCodIng by BZA

<1 page: Bait CoinflIp by BZA

<1 page: enaBling CanInes by BZA

<1 page: Beyond Cockroach racIng by BZA

<1 page: deBating CognItion by BZA

<1 page: disaBled neuroCtIvely by BZA

<1 page: (Bi) soCIal by BZA

<1 page: Blucher Conversatlon by BZA

<1 page: joB disCIpline by BZA

<1 page: Bored Class Initiative by BZA

<1 page: BlaCk rIng by BZA

<1 page: wuB CannIbalism by BZA

<1 page: Byrd CallIng by BZA

<1 page: Banal Cat Insight by BZA

<1 page: (Re)Defining BCIs by BZA

<1 page: Bowel ContemplatIon by BZA

LONGER THAN 1 PAGE

2 pages: BlaCkmaIl by BZA

3 pages: noBle saCrIfIice by BZA

4 pages: But Content Is by BZA

5 pages: Bull sCheIße by BZA

7 pages: By dysfunCtIonal infrared by BZA

13 pages: The Emperor’s Newer Clothes by BZA

~60 pages (Final Draft): ComAware by BZA

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BCI-re: Real papers about BCIs for non-experts

The main focus of this site is BCI-fi. Lots of sites can teach you about real-world BCIs even if you don’t have a background in neuroscience, engineering, medicine, etc. I included these three papers here because (1) they’re free; anyone can read, copy, or distribute them; (2) after writing a lot of fiction that raises concerns with realism, hope, and altruism, I wanted to contrast that with what we really do.

These articles are published in Frontiers for Young Minds. We wrote them for younger readers. If you want expert-level BCI stuff, it’s referenced below and easy to find online (especially if you’re an expert).

How to use safe, non-invasive BCIs to help people recover from stroke (2020).

How to use safe, non-invasive BCIs to help people with disorders of consciousness (2018).

Disorders of consciousness and their treatment (2023).

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Other work from Dr. Allison

I posted a few videos about BCIs on my YouTube channel. You can find other videos from me online.

I’ve maintained a blog since 2007. Most of the posts aren’t relevant to BCIs.

I have well over 100 peer-reviewed papers about BCIs. Almost all of them are meant for expert readers and most of them are owned by a publisher who charges for them. You can find them online through various means such as my Google Scholar profile.

Since 2010, I’ve been active with the BCI Research Awards. Much of my involvement has entailed editing books from the annual awards – 12 books so far and counting. Each book has an introduction and discussion that I led with help from my old friend and co-editor, Dr. Christoph Guger, the CEO of a company that makes BCI systems called Guger Technologies.

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I Argue Science for Money

While it’s much broader than BCIs, I made a T-shirt that says “Will Argue Science for Money.” This is an original phrase that I protected when I made the first shirt (in 2020 after arguing “science” with a COVID denier). Contact me if you want to buy one.

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BCI Thursdays

I organized and spoke at two “BCI Thursday” events devoted to BCI-fi through the BCI Society on July 21 and August 4, 2022. The recordings are here. The other speakers were:

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Art credits

The BCIFI logo at the top left of this page was developed by Romanian artist Maria (Mika) Cooper.

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Copyright notice

I copyrighted all material on this page, and all the original work linked from this page. That includes all original stories (including the associated comments and other material), pages with more info, and the phrases “Will Argue Science for Money” and “Will pronounce ‘Ouray” for money (or drinks.” These two phrases are printed on T-shirts that I wear.

The Final Draft document “ComAware” is also registered with the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA). I did not copyright the BCI Thursdays, the three papers under BCI-Re (which are copyrighted through a journal called Frontiers for Young Minds), nor material I didn’t create.

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Links to more Brendan

References

[1] Allison, 2009, Towards Ubiquitous BCIs, p.374.

[2] Wolpaw, J. R., Birbaumer, N., McFarland, D. J., Pfurtscheller, G., & Vaughan, T. M. (2002). Brain–computer interfaces for communication and control. Clinical neurophysiology, 113(6), 767-791.

[3] Allison, B. Z., Wolpaw, E. W., & Wolpaw, J. R. (2007). Brain–computer interface systems: progress and prospects. Expert review of medical devices, 4(4), 463-474.

[4] Wolpaw, J., & Wolpaw, E. (Eds.). (2012). Brain–Computer Interfaces: Principles and Practice: Oxford University Press.

[5] Nam, C.S., Nijholt, A., & Lotte, F. (Eds.). (2018). Brain–Computer Interfaces Handbook: Technological and Theoretical Advances (1st ed.). CRC Press.

[6] Zander, T. O. (2008). Enhancing human-machine systems with secondary input from passive brain-computer interfaces. In Proceedings of the 4th International BCI Workshop, 2008 (pp. 44-49).

[7] Guger, C., Allison, B. Z., Walchshofer, M., & Breinbauer, S. (2019). The BR4IN. IO Hackathons. In Brain art: Brain-computer interfaces for artistic expression (pp. 447-473). Cham: Springer International Publishing.