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Monkeys Adapt Robot Arm as Their Own
FiReaNGeL writes "Neurobiologists from the Duke University Medical Center are training monkeys to use their brain signals to control a robotic arm; but they are not just learning to manipulate an external device. Rather, "their brain structures are adapting to treat the arm as if it were their own appendage", via a brain-implanted chip. "The finding has profound implications both for understanding the extraordinary adaptability of the primate brain and for the potential clinical success of brain-operated devices to give the handicapped the ability to control their environment", said the researchers. Read the story here with full details."
...was there a particular reason they were working with two female monkeys? Are they less aggressive and easier to work with or are they more adaptable than male monkeys? Either way, this is an amazing discovery.
I have neither class nor rank. I am unique.
Working to reduce/negate disabilitys == (politically) safe == broader support == better chance of funding. Transhumanism == (politically) dangerous == much less public support == lower chance of funding. Of course with the transhuman route you can always go to the military who may well give you pots of cash to research with [like the chaps who have (kinda) got cameras for the blind working]
"Success is based on knowing how far to go in going too far"
I think that while this research has been ongoing for some time, the article is highlighting a new interpretation -- that our brains control external "peripherals" (tools, tennis rackets) the same way they control built-in "peripherals" (hands, arms...), and can switch "drivers" on the fly...
FTA:"This finding supports our theory that the brain has extraordinary abilities to adapt to incorporate artificial tools, whether directly controlled by the brain or through the appendages" said Nicolelis. "Our brain representations of the body are adaptable enough to incorporate any tools that we create to interact with the environment. This may include a robot appendage, but it may also include using a computer keyboard or a tennis racket. In any such case, the properties of this tool become incorporated into our neuronal 'space',"