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Matrix-Style Brain Interface Closer To Reality

Posted by timothy on from the be-your-own-neo dept.

atkulp writes "According to this Wired article, a private company, Cyberkinetics is seeking permission from the FDA to test a product called BrainGate that implants in the brain and can control actions on a computer. So far it works for monkeys and they'd like to see it as viable for quadriplegics and others in need. How soon until anyone can become the ultimate expansion card? Sign me up!"

4 of 567 comments (clear)

  1. Not exactly the Matrix by Orion442 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This would enable handicap people to control machines, not vice-versa. It would be killer for fighter pilots though...

  2. We are the Borg by NetDanzr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So let's see. First, we connect our brains to the computer. Then we create Internet 3, by directly linking our brains. Then a new anti-terrorism bill outlaws firewalls, and our brains will be wide open to each other. Can anybody say "collective consciousness"?

  3. Re:Nice, they've got Matlab routines... by blakestah · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yep. John Donoghue (of Brown) has been working on this stuff for a few years, and his former postdoc, implant engineer Nikos Hatsopoulos is another key person at Cyberkinetics. But this is really Donoghue's baby.

    They've adopted the Richard Normann's (of Bionic Tech) implants (the Utah grid), and they are working fairly well for time periods up to a year. You can expect them to be the first to do human studies, and for quite a lot to be learned about the brain in the process, as well as dramatic improvements in the lives of their test patients.

    I'm quite excited to see how it goes for them, and hope for the best.

  4. Comparable to Voicemail recognition. by elrick_the_brave · · Score: 4, Interesting

    While I laud the effort, it will be a long time before this becomes a proper human interface. Take computer voice recognition... it's still in it's infancy despite years of 'progress'. The issues at hand:
    i) How long it takes the computer to learn how to interpret the signals and what they relate to(its training).
    ii) The training involved for the human to keep a 'steady mind'. How does the system bypass clutter?

    If those two issues are resolved or mitigated, this is a cool prospect.

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