Brain monitoring could be the dystopian future of work

Despite all the attention to technologies that reduce the practical role of humans at work, such as Autonomous vehicles, Robot workers, artificial intelligence And so on: researchers in the field of neuronomy are using technology to improve the way humans work in their work roles.

Neuroergonomics It is the study of human behavior while performing real world activities, even in the workplace. It implies registering a person’s brain activity in different situations or by completing certain tasks to optimize cognitive performance. For example, neuroergonomics could monitor employees while they Learn new material To determine when they have dominated it. It could also help monitor fatigue in employees in roles that requires best supervision and determine when they need to be relieved.

Until now, Neuronergonomics research could only be carried out in highly controlled clinical laboratory environments using invasive procedures. But engineering advances now make this work possible in real world configurations with non -invasive and portable devices. The market for this Neurotecnology – It is predicted that any technology that interacts with the nervous system Grow to US $ 21 billion By 2026 and is ready to shape the daily life of workers for many industries in the coming years.

But this advance does not come without risk.

In my work like biomedical engineer and doctor of occupational medicine, study how to improve the health, well -being and productivity of workers. Neurotechnology often focuses on how workers could use portable brain monitoring technologies to improve brain function and performance during tasks. But neuronergonomics could also be used to better understand the Human experience at work and adapt tasks and procedures to the person, not the other way around.

Capture brain activity

The two most used neuronomic portable devices capture brain activity in different ways. Electroencephalography, or EEGMeasure changes in electrical activity using electrodes united to the scalp. Functional infrared spectroscopy or FNIRSMeasure changes in metabolic activity. It does so by passing infrared light through the skull to monitor blood flow.

Both methods can monitor brain activity in real time, since it responds to different situations, such as a high pressure work task or a difficult task. For example, a study Using Fnirs To monitor the brain activity of people involved in a 30 -minute sustained care task, he saw significant differences in the reaction time between the beginning and the end of the task. This can be critical of the roles related to safety and security that require sustained care, such as air traffic controllers and police officers.

Neurogonomy also studies how brain stimulation could be used to improve brain activity. These include neuromodulation technologies such as transcranial electrical stimulation or te; transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS; or ultrasound stimulation focused, or fus. For example, studies have shown that Applying tees While learning a cognitive training task can lead to immediate improvements in performance that persist even the next day. Another study found that TES can also help improve performance in the tasks involved Motor skillswith possible applications in training surgical skills, military tasks and sports performance.

High -risk ethical questions

The use of neurotechnology in the workplace has global implications and High stakes. Defenders say that neurotechnology can promote economic growth and improvement of society. Those against neurotechnology warn that it could feed inequality and undermine democracy, among other possible unknown consequences.

The beginning of a new era of monitoring and improvement of the individualized brain raises many ethical questions. Answering these questions requires that all interested parties (workers, occupational health professionals, lawyers, government officials, scientific, ethical and others) are addressed.

For example, how should an individual’s brain activity data protect themselves? There are reasons to suspect that brain activity data would not be covered by the Portability and Responsibility Law of Health Insuranceo Hipa, because medical or health data is not considered. Additional privacy regulations may be needed.

In addition, do employers have the right to demand workers to comply with the use of neuronomic devices? He Non -discrimination law of genetic information of 2008 Prevents discrimination against workers based on their genetic data. Similar legislation could help protect workers who refuse to allow the collection of their brain information to be dismissed or denied insurance.

Protect workers

The collection of data neurotechnology could be used so that Help or wound The worker, and the potential for abuse is significant.

Employers can use neurotechnology to diagnose brain -related diseases that could lead to medical treatment but also discrimination. They can also monitor how individual workers respond to different situations, collecting ideas about their behavior that could negatively affect their use or insurance state.

Just as computers and the Internet have transformed life, neurotechnologies in the workplace could bring even deeper changes in the next decades. These technologies can allow a more perfect integration between workers’ brains and their work environments, both improving productivity while pose many neuroetic problems.

Bringing all interested parties to the conversation can help ensure that everyone is protected and create safer work environments aimed at solving tomorrow’s challenges.

Paul Brandt-RaufProfessor and Dean of Biomedical Engineering, University of Drexel

This article was republished from The conversation Under a Creative Commons license. Read the Original article.