兰德公司：脑机接口：美国军事应用和意义，初步评估

ANIKA BINNENDIJKTIMOTHY MARLER ELIZABETH M. BARTELSU.S. MILITARY APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONSBRAIN- COMPUTERINTERFACES AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT Cover design: Peter SorianoCover image: Adobe Stock/Prostock-studio Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html.RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark.For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2996.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication.ISBN: 978-1-9774-0523-4© Copyright 2020 RAND Corporation3SummaryBrain-computer interface (BCI) represents an emerg-ing and potentially disruptive area of technology that, to date, has received minimal public discussion in the defense and national security policy commu-nities. This research considered key areas in which future BCI technologies might be relevant for the warfighters of tomorrow. It sought to explore the operational value of current and future developments regarding man-machine neural communication, the associated vulnerabilities and risks, and the policy levers that should be in place before the technology is deployed.The project drew from reviews of relevant tech-nical and security literature and discussions with subject-matter experts to develop a July 2018 game convening technical and operational experts. The game tested the potential utility of a functional “BCI toolbox” against two future tactical urban operations vignettes. Game results indicated that BCI tech-nologies are likely to have practical use on a future battlefield, particularly as the pace and volume of human-machine interaction intensify. Within the vignettes, participants anticipated that BCI capa-bilities could enhance the speed of communication, improve common situational awareness, and allow operators to control multiple technological platforms simultaneously. Participants noted that the pragmatic utility of each BCI capability would depend largely on its fidelity and reliability during combat. Of the capa-bilities assessed in the game, direct brain-to-brain communication facilitated by BCI appeared to offer the most transformative applications for operational use but also carried the most significant operational and institutional risks. Our analysis also explored possible areas of risk associated with the development and application of BCI combat capabilities. As with many new techn