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Brain Chip Approved For Paralysis Research

Posted by Hemos on from the try-it-out dept.

dalillama writes "The BBC is reporting that tests are underway for the clinical trials of the "Brain Gate" computer chip, placed in the brains of paralysis patients. They hope the chips will map out nerve impulses which are sent to limbs, so that they can then be translated into computer code and sent to future artificial limbs. " Thanks to Robert Brooks for pointing out this closely related piece.

6 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Reboot Feature by tadmas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wonder if they are going to have some kind of "reboot" feature in case the hardware starts failing or the software goes haywire. (Insert standard Windows BSOD joke here.) Seriously, though, I'd hate to see somebody's limbs just start moving erratically and without any control. That would be a nightmare.

    I don't know how they would actually implement such a feature, but it just seems kinda dangerous to me without it.

  2. Follow the money by pr0t0plasm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Cyberkinetics was a lab at Brown University, I design an amplifier array for the wireless implant mentioned in the article. The medical possibilities for the research are really pretty interesting, especially once the next generation probe is done. The trouble is that the medical possibilities are icing, and the cake is a control system for the exoskeleton of the soldier of the future... that's right, another fine DARPA technology.

    --
    - - - Patent applied for and deliver us from evil
  3. Re:If I wanted a chip in my brain by maztuhblastah · · Score: 2, Insightful

    no, no, no, that resulted in a chip on the shoulder not the brain.

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    The real litigious bastards...
  4. AI by cifey · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Instead of trying to map out the exact instructions which may change from person to person coudln't you just have an interface that learns the commands of the user via positive feed back?

    --
    Hello Cruel World
  5. Re:When is it too far? by Merkuri22 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd think if you were completely paralized you'd jump (well, not literally, of course) to have this implanted. Even if it didn't allow you control of your limbs, anything to feel like you had some sort of influence on the outside world, even if it's just controlling the mouse on a computer, would be a big plus to any quadrepalegic, IMO.

    I mean, imagine it... not being able to move any of your arms or legs ever again. Being bedridden for the rest of your life doesn't sound like a very pleasant experience to me. I think if I were in that position and there was a high risk of death to using this chip then I'd still give it a shot.

  6. Re:Im as dumb as they come by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That's the thing though, if this is done young enough, the brain will adapt to the new setup. It's similair to the sight expirament done a while ago.

    Here's a recap, test subjects wore glasses which flipped things so that everything was upside down. After about a week these people started saying that they were seeing things right side up again. So the expiramenters told them to remove the glasses, and suddenly the test subjects were seeing upside down again. Effectively their brain's decided to flip perception internally.

    Long story short: Your brain will adapt given enough time. Think of it like stroke victims relearning how to talk or walk. It takes a while because the original tissue was damaged/destroyed, but your brain reroutes around the problem and you relearn.