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Brain Controlled Computing a Reality
pchernyakov writes "Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems told attendees at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation annual conference that a 25-year-old quadriplegic with wires run from 100 tiny sensors implanted in his brain and out to a computer can use his thoughts to control a computer well enough to operate a TV, open e-mail and play Pong with 70% accuracy."
I keep thinking that a 'human bus connector' would be a good idea, once you've identified the areas of the brain most conducive to electrode implantation for control purposes, you create a standard connector and tolerances for the controls. Identify motion axes that can be trained. Create a computer that hooks into the bus connector (mounted in the most logical place, perhaps behind the neck?) and allows the user to train using the motion axes in a therapy environment, then move them up to the vehicle that can provide mobility, a grasping hand and communications.
The advantages of this would be that as new hardware is invented, the brain electrodes wouldn't need to be re-implanted and the new hardware could simply take advantage of the existing control interface.
It's been a dream to regrow spinal cords. This provides a technological end run that while not 100% desirable, gives them a far more mobile and productive existence than would otherwise be possible.
HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
Are you thinking perhaps, of http://www.ibva.com/?
In fact if you had actually paid attention and thought about the article after reading it, it would be rather obvious that the quote
There are 100,000 neurons in a square millimeter of cortex. There are very precise codes in the neurons. The details matter."
Is referring to the details of neural patterns being picked up, not individual neurons. Just as the quote from the article implies, the devil is in the details.
Working out the kinks is a critical step indeed. I interned at a bioengineering lab this summer, and a huge problem was just keeping channels active. The brain sloshes around inside the skull quite a bit, and to have a stiff electrode intrude on this can be problematic to say the least (if a jet pilot with an implant were to pull a few Gs I imagine some sort of self lobotomy).
Next are immune reactions to foreign objects in the body. Coatings over the electrodes can help, but are not a guarantee.
Finally, these electrode arrays are pretty large. Technology can improve this, but imagine invasive brain surgery every time you need to upgrade, or being stuck with the 1st generation mind-link ipod for life.
I'm waiting for nanomachines to solve many of these problems. When (and if) I make it to grad school perhaps they'll have it set for me... or maybe I'll volunteer as I'm never going to fly a jet.