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Going Cyberpunk

Posted by michael on from the need-a-brain-for-my-master dept.

goingincirclez writes "Cnet has an article about the development of a "Neuro-chip". This can be implanted in the brain and is currently being researched for medical uses. The article makes a brief mention the composition of pictures on a computer based on signlas receieved from the brain. Couple this development with the information in this Wired article from last October, and I can't help but wonder how far we are from literally being able to record dreams and thoughts?" On a similar note there are stories about a temperature-sensing implantable microchip and a scientist who claims he can tell whether you've committed a crime.

19 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Imagine this idea by Rooked_One · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Right now, we are limited to a mouse and keyboard to compete in games like quake 3.

    Imagine that all you would have to do is hook a little matrix type needle in your head and you could compete based on pure reflexes and just how fast your brain can work, and not on a malfunctioning optical mouse.

    Geez, when I think of it like that, there could be all sorts of implications for something like this from being a lie detector to measureing IQ.

  2. No reading of minds yet by AntiFreeze · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Quoth the article:

    "For example, you could put slices from brain nerve cells on the chip, apply drugs and see how the nerve signals" and cells react to a particular drug, he said in an interview.

    So reading one's mind is still _far_ in the future. That said, it's still a very cool technology which will allow for more information on how the brain works, and hopefully some serious medical advances.

    --

    ---
    "Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller

    1. Re:No reading of minds yet by blindcoder · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And that's a shame.

      Is there anyone else out there who sometimes when coding has the feeling:

      Dammit... I have all that code in my brain, and now I have to type away hours on the keyboard to put it into my 'puter.

      I really hoped that this feeling would finally be able to subside...

      --
      See my blog for my free opinions.
  3. An upside... by The+G · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You know, I'm glad there are scientists out there who can tell whether I've committed a crime. Because with all these bizarre and incomprehensible laws out there, I sure as heck don't know when I have. Perhaps if I get one of these chip things it will tell me when my code touches a patented technology or happens to break some loser's copy-protection technology from the mid-80s.
    --G

    1. Re:An upside... by ch-chuck · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You pull an old tv out of the attic and check it out, thinking it might sell on eBay. Just as you turn the UHF knob toward the upper end of the dial a paralysing shock knocks your hand numb and a loud thought-voice says, in a friendly, evenly modulated female tone, "I'm sorry, you were about to tune into a frequency band used for private unencrypted voice conversations, prohibited by federal law. I cannot allow that to happen Dave."

      Next day during a break at work, you come across, in the dark fringe areas of the web, a very large prime number - suddenly your field of vision blacks out with a searing headache and the same thought-voice says, "I'm sorry, you were about to view a number which, when uncompressed, contains information that may be used to circumvent video copy protection, prohibited by federal law. I cannot allow that to happen Dave."

      --
      try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
    2. Re:An upside... by CommieLib · · Score: 4, Interesting

      'There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. ... Create a nation of law-breakers, and then you cash in on the guilt.'

      -Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged"

      --
      If your bitterest enemies are people who hack the heads off civilians, then I would say you're doing something right.
  4. -=What Is It To Be Human?=- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Is approaching faster then we think, we shouldn't fear changes, we should embrace them. I think we all know what this annoucement means, we've known this was coming for a long time. However, the rest of the world did not. Most people are completely ignorant to changes like this, they live in there own little world, and when that world is threatened, they turn to violence and religionism. They try to stop scientific progress.

    The long term applications are many, but so are the negative uses. I think we should establish exactly what it means to be human, and concentrate on preserving it. Is it our DNA? No. Is it in our appearence? Again, No. Our Limitations? No. So what is the essence of being human?

    I believe, that, in the future, we will change our DNA, enhance ourselves with technology, but not so much that we don't resemble humans any more in form. What is really important, is we preserve that spark that is humanity. Our ambitions, ethics, our yearning for knowledge, Our many differences...

    -A Sixteen Year Old High School Student.

  5. In the beginning was the THOUGHT by solendril · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now what REALLY matters is the interface. It's not much good to have a computer wired to your cortex is all you can do is type on your brain's command line.

    What will make this take off is a thought-processor. An interface device that allows the computer to read your mind. The real challange will be in signal filtering; I don't want to speak for anyone else, but I think about a lot of random crap during the day. How to distinguish legitimate commands from my daydreaming about travel or movies or p0rn?

    Whoever invents this will make Einstein look like a small time celebrity.

    1. Re:In the beginning was the THOUGHT by axxackall · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I you want an interface to deterministic system (like computer) then you have to train you brain to think more deterministically (like using interactively interpreted programming language).

      Voice, GUI are not good for it as they are interfaces designed for pre-existed I/O devices as hands, mouth, ears and eyes.

      What would be a real improvement is some virtual-reality navigation interface. However, it won't substitute programmable sctable interface.

      But look, if you smart enough then GUI is not enough for you on your today's PC - you run CLI with good shell (at least BASH, using a mix of Perl, Python and Tcl). For example, on GNOME you use nautilus and other GUI stuff for navigation, but you allways create your on scripts, batch files, menu items etc.

      The more important question is: what scipting language to use in brain? I think that this time it should not be imperative language. I would prefer something more mathematical, like Haskell. Perhaps I would use Lisp for driver extensions on that chip. And I'd like to keep many of personal database records in Prolog.

      --

      Less is more !
  6. Why a chip? by joel8x · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Who in their right mind would get a chip implanted in their body? With technology advancing as fast as it does, you would be outdated in a couple of years! A better Idea would be a port that can be easily accessed that can support future upgrades without surgery.

    --
    Sound waves should be free!
    1. Re:Why a chip? by Rewtie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why a port? They suffer the same technology advancement as a chip. SCSI, SCSI-II, UltraSCSI, SuperFantasticWoweeSCSI... USB, USB2... PCMCIA/PCMCIA2... technology simply will not stand still.

      Now, a piece of re-imprintable silicon would be an interesting concept. Something that sits just beneath the epidermal layer, and is "flashable", thus reprogrammable. That would be interesting.

      --
      Ever Onward, Forward Bound
    2. Re:Why a chip? by axxackall · · Score: 2, Interesting
      For that port you need a port controller (aka SCSI, Firewire, USB or other I/O) and that requires the chip. And you need a smart controller in orer to constantly adapt to constantly adaptable brain.

      Your SCSI controller is not too diff from what you had 5 or even 10 years ago. Why? B/c since the beginning it has been designed right.

      Same thing here, once the neuro controller will be designed righ, you'll upgrade mostly your gateway software.

      P.S. I wonder if the IP address of our brains will be IPv6, when will we need IPv8 ?

      --

      Less is more !
    3. Re:Why a chip? by SpaceJunkie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      How about an "Industry Standard Bioport"... One that needs to be nicely lubed up before interfacing... Hehe...
      But to avoid standard port and interfacing problems - how about complementing the imprintable sillicon idea(aboce posting) with some kind of broadband wireless system - thus eliminating plug in ports... 802.11b in my head. Of course given current safety concerns over mobile phones - it might be better to have the antennae implanted in your arm than annywhere near your head...
      That also gives us a whole new paradigm of mobile communications - datavising! Cool - use your technology to contact your mates, send them images, text or just thoughts... Maybe even patch them to a real time feed. How long before we see something like Sensorium Movies? A long time maybe - but at least we acknowlegde the possibility now.

      --
      OrionRobots.co.uk - Robots From sol
    4. Re:Why a chip? by MxTxL · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well, while everyone is dreaming and throwing around crazy cyberpunk ideas, i'll throw one out. Sure it's equally as unlikely as anything everyone else is spouting off about, but somewhat cool none-the-less.

      Instead of implanted chips or ports, just inject people with a trillion or so microscopic robots. Kinda like the idea of 'mites' from Stephenson's 'Diamond Age'.
      Probably, these little suckers would be too small, to do more than one task, but for that one task they could be really adept and each one (or each hundred or so) could have it's own job. One batch could be 'go seek out the visual cortex neuron 148 and report back what it's doing' and other batchs would have other equally important tasks. Some for input, some for output, others for infrastructure, conceivably others for security, etc... The lot of them work together as a little P2P network passing short-range messages and eventually it all gets reported back to the central computer... which could then do all the nifty ass crap that you can imagine by being brain-linked to a computer. Infinite recall, knowledge, processing, simulations... you're in the matrix now.

      The little critters wouldn't ever be obsolete cause you could replace them from time to time by getting a shot... there is a lot of redundancy, and (assuming you have the micro technology to make them in the first place) would be probably pretty damn cheap to make and use.

  7. Two questions... by Jack+William+Bell · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Suppose you could get a chip inplanted in your brain that would allow you to control a computer with thought. Two questions:
    1. Would you be willing to be a beta tester?
    2. Would the answer to question One depend on the operating system in ran?
    --
    - -
    Are you an SF Fan? Are you a Tru-Fan?
  8. Re:5th Amendment by LucidityZero · · Score: 2, Interesting
    It won't take long before refusing to take the test will itself be taken as a confession.


    Not sure where you live, but here in Virginia refusing to take the test already IS a confession. Been that way for some time. Same thing in Maryland and DC.
    --
    Sig.i>
  9. Missing the point by Jabber3776 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Really let's think about it. If we can record our dreams and thoughts, especially for those of us that do our best writing in our head and can never seem to get it on paper, it could be a useful tool. What about those that are deaf and blind? A way that would have the ability to reconnect the broken links. The possiblities are endless. It's not about creating super human machines; or making big brother. It's taking science and and medicine a step further. A way to help build new and better interpersonal commuinications for those that have trouble with this.

  10. Re:Sure, laugh now guys, while you can. by macshune · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, here's one link to a glucose-powered fuel cell. Enjoy!

  11. Wowsers! by LoneWlf · · Score: 1, Interesting

    All I can say to this is 'Wow' I mean not only exciting but scary, and way cool. I've always wanted to run my computer by thought waves, it would be much faster, I mean, we've finally gotten to the point that my WPM isn't faster than the computer, and now it doesn't even keep up with it, at least if it were thought-fast, I'd have a chance...

    -LW

    --
    -LoneWolf-

    It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.