Cortical Cybernetic Implants

Floody writes "Wired is running a story with amazing cyberpunk "wow factor." Implanted visual cortex stimulation, complete with "percutaneous pedestal"; a metal jack installed directly into the skull. Where can I get a night vision enhancement module for this with HUD and distance finder?" We've posted a couple of previous stories about Dobelle and his work on bionic eyes, but this one has more details: one frame per second, $100,000. Wow.

Comments

Forget..

[iONiUM]

Where can I get a night vision enhancement module for this with HUD and distance finder?

Forget that, where can I get an x-ray enhancement? Nothing like seeing through .. uhh .. nevermind ;-)

Re:Forget..

[Dark Paladin]

Yes, but if they're using Intenet Explorer to render the web pages, the only way to get rid of all the pop ups will be to remove your skull from your shoulders, wait a moment, then put it back on.

I hope it comes with script-fu

[jukal]

the vision-gadget should be enchanced so that it detects when you are going to see something you do not like. For example, all chicks should be photoshopped, if you know what i mean, all cars should be ferraris (well, for my neighbour, let's choose Lada), and all drinks should be Pepsi. :)

Re:I hope it comes with script-fu

[7-Vodka]

omg, then you'd be sleeping with fat chicks, overpaying for cars and freaking out when all your pepsis taste like another drink.

$100,000 too much, nah....

[roalt]

We've posted a couple of previous stories about Dobelle and his work on bionic eyes, but this one has more details: one frame per second, $100,000

Do you think this $100,000 for 1 frame/second is too much? There might be quite some blind guys in the world who would like to pay this to see just one frame in their entire life...

Fun fun

[Gudlyf]

"Suddenly, the color drains from the patient's face. His deadened eyes roll back. Then another warping convulsion."

Yeah, sounds like oodles of fun. Shiver...

Re:umm...

[romi]

yeah actually it says 10.9, which is Wired issue 9, volume 10 I believe - making it current (besides which it says september 2002 right next to it).

I'm waiting for...

[MarvinMouse]

when I can sit down at a desk with maybe just a keyboard, and plug in the sound screen and everything directly into my head.

Sound would be amazing if they could get the entire range (including that which is naturally lost after childhood) to work. Imagine hearing music absolutely perfectly clear. Wouldn't that be awesome. :-)

And screen would be even better. Considering I have contacts as is, so the screen isn't 100% clear, just good enough.

Imagine if they could have the screen show up with clarity beyond that of 20/20 or even 20/10 . Movies where everything is perfectly clear. :-)

If scientists were to actually work on ways to "jack" ourselves in. There are so many things we could do with it. Even just the sheer speed increase of data entry if we just had to think about it.

The possiblities are endless...

Awesome

[grmoc]

Now the question that would be interesting...

What happens with copyright laws when people have these (types of) implants in them?
If you can record, verbatim, (i.e. through the use of some static ram, etc) what you see as a "perfect" digital copy, then would that be copyright infringment? Is the implant going to be considered the same as other (external) hardware?

Its a sticky issue, imho- Will the copyright holder "rights" force us to unlearn what we have learned because they have a patent or copyright on the idea? What happens when the electronic thought ends up being the same as normal "human" thought because the devices are a part of us?

I imagine that "our" lawmakers havn't even considered considering such a thing. The lack of foresight isn't suprising, but it is disheartening.

-R

Re:Awesome

[Winged Cat]

The law as it currently stands is that, once they enter your brain, the perceptions are your inviolable IP. Of course, that's mainly because sharing thoughts and ideas had notably less than 100% fidelity.

Which makes for an interesting side-trip: what happens if, instead of attending world class universities and studying, one can just download and install a few files from reputable universities' Web sites in order to grok, say, physics just (or at least nearly) as well as the best physicists? But that requires hacking into the memories, which the subject of this article only begins to touch on.

Back on topic, I would suspect that, as with the fact of file sharing today, the laws will be widely ignored in practice if they would otherwise inconvenience the user. You could have people getting wired eyes so that whatever they see can be admitted as court evidence (which some undercover cops, to my knowledge, would gladly give their right arms for...and even more gladly give up just one or two body parts that get working artificial replacements as part of the deal). Many military uses also spring to mind. And then there's the art perspective of using yourself as a camera. All this would make the IP concerns seem trivial, especially if artificial eyes entered into wide use before the IP industry thought to purchase restrictive legistlation.

Re:Awesome

[Russ Steffen]

I'm sure that would be a last resort. First, it would attempt to deduct the appropriate royalties from your bank account.

Re:Awesome

[rseuhs]

Who needs laws when we have technology?

I bet in the EULA you have to sign to use such a device there is a clause like:

" * Digital Rights Management (Security). You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), [insert big corp here] may provide security related updates that will be automatically downloaded into your brain. These security related updates may disable your ability to see/listen Secure Content and/or may disable portions of your brain. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update."

(I like the last sentence best. I just could not make the last sentence any better than the original. This last sentence assures me that everything is fine and nobody has to worry.)

Now just let's hope that they never implement Product Activation on this. (Use of insecure content detected, brain shutting down...)

Re:Awesome

[Winged Cat]

Do we really want new law crafted before 90% of the issues with a new device are known?

Of course we don't. But we typically don't get to significantly affect the law; we just get to live under what is imposed on us. Those who make the laws, on the other hand, often want to look like they're "doing something" about the current crisis, even if the best course of action is actually no action.

This is one area of technology...

[Bogatyr]

I will NOT be volunteering for beta-testing of. No, no and no. I'll wait for other people to pioneer this field. I like my brain, and until they get the "regenerate and repair of brain damage" thing down pat I'll wait. For people who need this, I'm happy it's advancing, but I want to give the tech a bit to mature to the point it's a viable elective option.

Re:FPS value is wrong.

[Tackhead]

> The first version of this device installed in Jerry 20 years ago could acheive at least 4 FPS, so this version should be faster.

If I put a big-azz heatsink in my brain with the fins sticking out the back of my head, can I overclock it to get better framerates?

(Hmm, or watercooling. Overclock it and wander around with a big ice bath. :)

Just one question left - for those of us who checked "C++++" (I'll be first in line to get the new cybernetic interface installed into my skull. " in our Geek Code .sigs, where do we sign up?

Impractical but fun choice: Ability to see ultraviolet. Walk through a botanical garden and get a bee's-eye view.

Practical but more useful choice: Ability to see near infrared.

Impractical but even cooler choice: Ability to see far infrared. Know which dark alley the d00d you're trying to frag walked down... even if you're 5 minutes behind him. The coolant for the sensor might help with overclocking, too - anything to keep the frame-rate up! :)

And finally, some good uses for serious overclocking - real-time image reprocessing! Imagine driving with night-vision active at night (and software to filter out glare of incoming high-beams), and use the same software to highlight road signs and banner-block ugly billboards with pictures of trees or background patterns by day. Interface with GPS, visit New York and hack it to put up a picture of the WTC towers overtop of whatever sawed-off 20-storey mundane blocks they try to "replace" them with.)

Wires?

[Skyshadow]

Er, wouldn't it be easier to use wireless communications and transdermal power rather than poking holes in you're #1 infection prevention mechanism (your skin)?

Re:Borg?

[Winged Cat]

Augmented abilities like this are a form of power, and can be used for good or evil. The Borg, like most Hollywood cyborgs (with the exception of a few good guys like LaForge), tended to use it for evil, unfortunately. I suspect this stereotype won't go away until there's lots of people in the real world who use it for good.

Cost

[godemon]

It sure costs a lot... they'll probably get advertisers to co-pay it so they can run their advertisements over your sight every 10 min :D You know that's where it's going.

Super vision?

[Wrexen]

Where can I get a night vision enhancement module for this with HUD and distance finder?

How about you just be thankful for having working eyes at all? It's something too many of us take for granted

Re:Couple of random thoughts.

[Valdrax]

Personally, I'm waiting for elves, orks, street mages, and a dragon to be elected as President before I start comparing the world to Shadowrun.

Now, Neuromancer, on the other hand...

You nexus huh?

[da3dAlus]

Chew: "I designed your eyes."
Roy: "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."

Something I wonder about...

[cr0sh]

I read the article all the way through. Toward the end of the article, the reporter comments on wearing a Sony Glasstron hooked up to an artificial vision system that shows a 32x32 matrix of what he is "seeing" through a camera, to get an idea of how such a system would work in the future.

At first, he is shown a lower res image (lower than 32x32) - he then is upgraded to 32x32 and asked if he can see anything. He can see blobs of color and such - but then suddenly, he says things "resolve", and he can see things more clearly. He asked if they upped the res again, and they responded "No", that his brain was re-learning the "see" the new image.

Now, I don't know what kind of image processing software and such they were using (for all I know it may be some simple image mosaic tiling software like is used to mask peoples faces on TV), but I wonder how "sharp" or well defined the image he saw was? Further I wonder if you did look at one of those mosaic images on a TV in the right conditions (ie, through an HMD with no outside light penetrating like the reporter wore), if the res would "pop up", and you could see who the real person was?

Also, this effect seems real similar to what was noted a long time ago back when VR was just getting started (early 90's), in that when using a low-res HMD (320x200 or less pixels), you had to "learn" to "look past" the pixels, and the image would slowly become clearer.

So, in the area of VR HMD research, I am wondering if resolution really matters at all, or if there is a minimum resolution you can give the eyes, and let the brain fill in the rest? If this is really the case, then wide FOV HMDs, using lower-res displays and some training (so the brain can learn to "see" in one of these things) could possibily bring VR back in the limelight.

Anybody have any thoughts or comments on this?

Re:Something I wonder about...

[kris_lang]

Resolution really matters, but we (humans) are capable of resolving "sub-pixel" features by interpolation. The retinal cones are spaced at least 1-minute-of-arc apart, however we are able to accurately place a vernier line to within 1/10 of a minute of arc. This is probably done in a way that is the converse of anti-aliasing in image processing: you can create non-jagged edges by using intermediate gray scales to imply curves.

So even with 32 x 32 pixel images, if we are allowed to scan slowly across an image, we can see sub-pixel elements as they average across pixel areas and we see finer grain changes in intensity which our brain can infer is due to sub pixel features.

Re:X-ray vision?

[DunbarTheInept]

I would hope your microwave is shielded well enough that you *don't* see very much when you look at it with your x-ray vision. Plan on having kids?

The thing about the sorts of x-ray photos we've all seen before, like the type a doctor would use, is that to get such a photo requires more than just a device that can "see" x-rays on film. It also requires a device that *emits* them ot be seen, since, as the other poster pointed out, there isn't a whole lot of x-ray "light" down here on Earth occuring naturally. Thankfully.

Just like trying to use normal vision on somewhere like, say, Pluto, where you would need a flashlight to see anything, here on Earth you would need an x-ray "flashlight" to see anything with your x-ray vision. And I doubt you'd be allowed to just walk around dosing random strangers with it.

Not Useful?

[phriedom]

After one day of calibration and one day of the patient being plugged in so his brain learns to interpret the signals, patient alpha got into a car and drove it around the parking lot. Sure it started at 1 FPS when they turned him on, but it is clearly operating at a much higher level than that, and all with only one eye calibrated.

Ubergeek!

[Draoi]

While this article is unbelievably awesome, what really shocks me is just exactly Patient Alpha can do right now *without* any visual aid. This guy is just incredible - most sighted people couldn't achieve this much.

He lives in rural Canada, where the winters are brutal. He makes his living by selling firewood. Working alone, he splits logs with the largest chain saw currently available on the market. During the high season, he'll manhandle 12,000 pounds of wood in a day. He helped his wife deliver six of his eight children at home, without a physician or midwife. Jens dismisses the whole hospital birthing process as rapacious big business.

Starting from scratch and without the aid of sight, Jens designed and built a solar- and wind-powered house and pulled his family off the grid. In his spare hours, he programs computers, tunes pianos, and gives the occasional concert. For a blind man to give a classical recital requires memorizing whole scores -- a process that can take nearly five years. To cover his surgery, Jens gave quite a few recitals.

... absolutely incredible!