Brain-Machine Interfaces and Neuro-Modulation: Near-Infrared Light Approach
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
2:00 PM-3:30 PM
BIOMED Special Seminar
Title:
Brain-Machine Interfaces and Neuro-Modulation: Near-Infrared Light Approach
Speaker:
Prof. Keum-Shik Hong, PhD
Distinguished Professor
Qingdao University
Details:
The brain-machine interface (BMI) provides a means of controlling machines and robots for locked-in people by interpreting the neuronal signals from the brain directly. Recently, researchers successfully trained people with head-implanted microelectrodes to control robotic and prosthetic arms. However, noninvasive methods are preferable to avoid the inherent medical risks in microelectrode implantation. Additionally, control engineers can find more opportunities in noninvasive methods. First, the current brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies are briefly overviewed: Various imaging techniques, including invasive and noninvasive methods, are discussed. Second, noninvasive neuromodulation techniques for the elderly will be reviewed.
The imaging devices (fNIRS, EEG, and fMRI) are sensors, while the stimulation devices (tDCS/tACS and rTMS) are actuators. Notably, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging will be the primary focus, an emerging noninvasive brain imaging technique that measures the hemodynamic response of the cerebral cortex using near-infrared light (650-1,000 nm). The advantages of fNIRS include its low cost, portability, and excellent temporal resolution, which make it a plausible solution for real-time imaging, compared to fMRI. Recent research indicates the significant potential of fNIRS as a tool for BMI.
Finally, to discuss the role of control engineers in the coming aging society, a feedback concept from brain therapy is introduced. The advancements made to date for patients with mild cognitive impairment are discussed. I will introduce some preliminary results on feedback stimulation using tES.
Biosketch:
Prof. Keum-Shik Hong, PhD, is a distinguished South Korean mechanical engineer, academic, and researcher. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at Qingdao University, China, and holds the position of Professor Emeritus at Pusan National University, South Korea.
Prof. Hong received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Design and Production Engineering from Seoul National University in 1979, and his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 1987. He also received a master’s in Applied Mathematics and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991.
Prof. Hong's work is renowned in areas, such as adaptive control, brain-computer interfaces (BCI), neuromodulation, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), control and automation systems, 3D brain imaging, and signal processing. He pioneered research in cogno-mechatronics, introducing the concept and establishing a dedicated department at Pusan National University in 2009. Prof. Hong developed the first adaptive control theory for distributed parameter systems described by parabolic PDEs, influencing control systems in heat transfer, vehicle suspension, and automated port systems. He also developed advanced fNIRS technology for brain imaging, enabling noninvasive monitoring of hemodynamic responses, and applied these methods to BCIs. His lab at Pusan National University was selected as a National Research Laboratory by Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology.
Prof. Hong is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including IEEE Fellow (2019), Member of the Korea National Academy of Engineering (2005), Korea Presidential Medal (2007), and the Korea Service Merit Medal (2022). He is widely published in fields ranging from automatic control and mechatronics to neuroscience, having authored key papers and reviews, particularly in the field of fNIRS-based BCIs.
Contact Information
Hasan Ayaz
ayaz@drexel.edu