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Hardware Implants Mimic Brain Cells

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the memory-upgrade dept.

An anonymous reader writes "PopSci is reporting that Ted Berger, a USC scientist, has been working to engineer a brain implant the mimics the functions of neurons. Early tests on rat brain cells have shown promise, and if successful, Berger's implant could remedy everything from Alzheimer's to absent-mindedness — and reduce memory loss to nothing more than a computer glitch"

6 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Time to recycle the MS-Borg icon by davidwr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Methinks it's high time to make a generic borg icon for cyborg-tech stories.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  2. Engineered humans? by Checkmait · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am torn over this idea because clearly it represents a potential major advance in science and a cure to several insidious, incurable (as of today) diseases. We could probably extend the life expectancy of humans by a decade or so.

    However, it also presents some less optimistic possibilities: for example, someone might be able to "program" humans as we program computers today. Imagine some terror organization such as Al Qaeda creating a fearless, seven-foot, feel-no-pain specimen....

    --
    "All you need is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." -- Mark Twain
  3. Let's do it RIGHT this time! by StefanJ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's build DRM into those artificial neurons, so that the Man of the Future loses bladder control and convulsively vomits if he tries to access pirated media.

  4. You know..... by LordPhantom · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new hyper-intelligent engineered-brain rat overlords! I've also invested in cheese futures.

  5. Re:Raises some interesting questions by Tipa · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's that old thought experiment -- if you have an axe and you get a new head for it and then later replace the handle, is it the same axe?

  6. Interesting Timing by jfdawes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This guy is making chips that can "talk" to the brain in signals the brain can understand, even if he doesn't know what the signals mean. Pure mimicry.

    Oddly enough, the people mentioned in Hacking Our Five Senses (Apr-03-2007) are using similarly arbitrary but mechanical means to also send signals to the brain (admitedly using existing pathways).

    Would it be possible to combine these two techniques, as well as a few miniturization techniques (and perhaps standard "ports") to enable people to not just replace storage capacity but indeed "add" senses?

    Instead of using a belt to buzz "north", use implants to send one of a set of predetermined signals. It won't matter what the signals would originally mean (if anything) - because if Hacking Our Five Senses is any indication, the brain is capable of creating maps for the the new signals anyway.

    Borg indeed.