The Cyborg in Us All

StoutMeister · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:08

An interesting if slightly chilling article on brain implants that allow user control/interaction through a computer.

The DoD has given a grant, and the military are interested in developing a "telepathy helmet" that would allow troops to send thoughts to each other.

It will allow civilians with brain injuries, epilepsy, etc interact with machines also.

The age of Joe 90 is upon us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/m...ll.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&_r=1&emc=tnt

flibbage0 · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:09

Tin foil hats at the ready.

Joking aside, that is pretty cool

Colasanto · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:11

Send thoughts... you say, Well I didn't want my fellow comrade to find out about me sleeping with his missus whilst in action, they called my death 'line of duty'

Tsk tsk.

GravyMonster · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:12

If this actually happened, wouldn't every man who wore it end up looking at porn every 6 seconds?

Glaucus · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:14

Can't wait, would love a radio/speaker implant.

StoutMeister · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:23

Spunkey said:
If this actually happened, wouldn't every man who wore it end up looking at porn every 6 seconds?

I thought this too.

Apparently the guy seems to be more interested in tomatoes...Hmm! bit Freudian that.

The idea of having implants attached to my brain doesn't seem to appealing though. An engineer that leads the Intel Brain Computer Initiative has signed up for it and seems quite eager too.

Cosimo · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:31

Bring it on.

Grimley · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:41

'Resistance is Futile.'

Deleted member 77746 · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:49

mind control

:O yuri's

lokiss · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:49

Heard about this a couple of months back on a science podcast, essentially they were talking about grafting patches to collate impluses from the brain.

Tbh if they can pull it down you're talking life changing. Imagine just walking in to the house and just thinking 'lights on'... couple it with wireless communication, whole input through what we have with phones, tabs, computers ect.. all done by just thinking it...

Wow/

'Think russian'

Evilsod · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:50

Lol, its as if they forgot that soldiers are human too. Not everything thought should be heard and its surely only going to cause problems.

RomanNose · 18 Sep 2011 at 10:54

Can you imagine what happens if one of the computers gets viruses, oh dear I don't want to think what could happen it probably involves telling an American soldier that all his allies are Taliban.

Tefal · 18 Sep 2011 at 11:27

oh hey there was an article recently that they had made a chip that could be put in a rats brain that taught it how to solve a specific maze (like a memory implant), I'll see if i can find it.

ah nvm not quite the same but it records and plays back memory signals so they learn faster/with less mistake (or can be made to do the task when on drugs that stop them from using thier own memory)

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/8...ories-in-rats-by-recording-playing-them-back/

apparently they plant to test on monkeys in the near future.

RomanNose · 18 Sep 2011 at 11:29

Tefal said:
oh hey there was an article recently that they had made a chip that could be put in a rats brain that taught it how to solve a specific maze (like a memory implant), I'll see if i can find it.

ah nvm not quite the same but it records and plays back memory signals so they learn faster/with less mistake (or can be made to do the task when on drugs that stop them from using thier own memory)

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/8...ories-in-rats-by-recording-playing-them-back/

apparently they plant to test on monkeys in the near future.

Ahh this reminds of some talk I went to where they were using fungi to solve maze problems which was pretty interesting. They were also using egg neurons and made a logic gate just out of them.

Tephnos · 18 Sep 2011 at 12:58

I want implants to enhance vision, and stuffs.

3 cones just don't cut it anymore.

Dr.EM · 18 Sep 2011 at 13:14

Such technology may help those who are otherwise unable to move/severely handicapped to communicate more effectively, but to use it in healthy people, I can't imagine anything much worse. Fortunately, I suspect the vast majority of ordinary people would reject such invasive technology, but still find it unsettling that so much research seems to be done in this field.

Tefal · 18 Sep 2011 at 13:16

Dr.EM said:
Such technology may help those who are otherwise unable to move/severely handicapped to communicate more effectively, but to use it in healthy people, I can't imagine anything much worse. Fortunately, I suspect the vast majority of ordinary people would reject such invasive technology, but still find it unsettling that so much research seems to be done in this field.

why?

Tephnos · 18 Sep 2011 at 13:20

Dr.EM said:
Such technology may help those who are otherwise unable to move/severely handicapped to communicate more effectively, but to use it in healthy people, I can't imagine anything much worse. Fortunately, I suspect the vast majority of ordinary people would reject such invasive technology, but still find it unsettling that so much research seems to be done in this field.

Why?

I'd find that many people would embrace this sort of technology. Especially if it enhances/gives you 'powers' you were not previously capable of.

Dr.EM · 18 Sep 2011 at 13:33

You're talking about undergoing major surgery so you can switch off a light without using the switch. This is a computer forum so it may be an idea you're more used to and will have an unusually high number of people who find such technology legitimate, but the majority of people will find this idea frankly insane. My computer sits here and it works for me, I use it when I want it, I have no wish to have it a physical part of me.

My goodness, I typed this post with fingers, how utterly barbaric!