Slashdot Mirror
Intel Says Brain Implants Could Control Computers By 2020
Lucas123 writes "Scientists at Intel are working on developing sensors that would be implanted in a person's head in order to harness brain waves that could then be used to control computers, televisions, cell phones and other electronic equipment. Intel has already used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) machines to determine that blood flow changes in specific areas of the brain based on what word or image someone is thinking of. People tend to show the same brain patterns for similar thoughts. 'Eventually people may be willing to be more committed ... to brain implants. Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts.' said Intel research scientist Dean Pomerleau."
I can get direct neural input from the Playboy channel.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
Computer implants will control brains by 2019.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
In the spirit of XKCD, should I get the chip installed in my brain and wait until Linux patches in support? Or wait for an Open Source alternative?
... a year or two after and we'll have the kind that doesn't require implants. I'll be in that camp.
...wire the nuclear plant directly into Homer's brain.
Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
Good thing the world is ending in 2012
is someone trying to figure out a way to get advertising into my mind. We all know someone is going to try.
Fortunately, feeding input directly into the brain is more difficult that reading output from it.
First Lasers, and soon brain implants! Today is full of win! Its the effin Future!
Don't fool yourself. Most brains are already fairly well controlled by TV, government, religion, group-think, etc. Take your pick.
If someone does develop a computer implant that can control a brain, it would only be an upgrade to the tools, not to the results.
The implants will control brains in 2021.
I'm sure he's not the only Sci-Fi author to have put these ideas into fiction. I had a great time reading his Neutronium Alchemist novels and others and seeing his description of how mind/computer interfaces could function.
I think it's a lot more realistic than Star Trek (gasp :) to imagine that future spacers will be sitting on an acceleration couch with their eyes closed--and seeing space around them as if they were outside, than to be sitting at a console with hundreds of controls, relying on the speed of electrons traveling through meat. And I loved their ability to superimpose heads-up displays onto their vision. I suppose I'm getting beyond the scope of this story...
-Aaron
Why do people insist on looking towards devices that need to be surgically implanted to operate?
Sure the interface is more difficult when it is outside the skull, but the barriers to adoption would be much lower also, would they not? Not to mention support, upgrades, product life cycle, etc.
Are they really that shortsighted?
Cause look at what happened from 2000 - 2010 ....let me see: facebook, twitter, blogs...holy shit, we're going downhill fast.
And I have computers that control brain implants." "I'm a PC, and I have brain implants that control a computer." Mac: "Good Luck with that."
And get this, whenever you are streaming full rez on the neural link, they shutdown your eyes and ears. And you don't want to know where they stick the dongle.
What ever you do, dont think of a beautiful girl on a nudist beach. Now you will be force to control your thoughts, so think happy thoughts like flowers, puppies and little children, oops, not little children you pervert! This is a very bad idea to be able to surf like that imo.
This will be useless in a business setting. I don't know how I'm going to look up online documentation when my browser is always searching for pictures of Megan Fox.
Imagine the damage a "keylogger" could do in a system like this.
My mind is the last sanctuary I have left, and I'm not going to jeopardize it by connecting it into a system which can be easily tapped, read, and quite probably manipulated by an outside force.
Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
You're reading some article on CNN and suddently these thoughts start going through your head:
"Pills from Canada."
"Everyone can buy a house! Get a no down payment mortgage today!"
"Nigeria can make me rich."
"I feel depressed."
"Seen on Oprah Jr! Buy Dan Brown's Vampires and Wizards today!"
Information wants to be free. That includes your memories. Once there are implants, some hacker will start freeing it.
1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual.
Seems like a question of risk vs reward to me... I doubt anyone is going to risk serious loss of function or death for the chance of being able to change the channel with their thoughts. Do we really need this? Now if this were something like an reborn 80s style math-co-processor for the brain, it might be something I would consider. The brain is optimized for symbolic reasoning, not pure number crunching. If I could do complex computations simply by thinking of them and having them routed to/from such a device... now, THAT is something I'd find intriguing.
The blurb appears to be an output from the brain to the computer. The real power comes when the computer can output to the brain in a useful and integrated manner. The the feedback loop would allow powerful new oportunities.
This is ironically the same time where mind-control through hacking the brain chip becomes a real problem.
A read-only system for the brain has the concern of others reading your mind but the mind-control comes with a read/write system.
Yeah, that anime sci-fi doesn't seem too far-fetched now, does it?
I don't think training it to react to what you are thinking about is the best idea. It should be the combination of the words you're thinking about and the intent to write it down on the computer. This way you can still have mental tangents without having to worry about constantly turning off the device.
I'm a truck driver.
This ain't rocket surgery.
Remember the scene where they freeze the guy with brain implants and he is doing something that could blow everything up? Then they realize they have made a mistake and release him. No thanks.
Who says they're bad?
What’s next? A dolphin hacking our brain! Damn you Johnny Mnemonic! Damn you.
the summary is stupid. Using fMRI to show that there is functional and structural interrelations is not something Intel did -- the cognitive neuroscience community deserves credit for that. They may have taken fMRI signal and done something w.r.t. controlling a computer -- but that's really not all that amazing; it's signal after all.
I recently heard an NPR article about this kind of thing.
Using real time MRI, someone could be presented with flashcards of common objects (screwdriver, igloo, flower, etc). When they thought about those objects, certain areas of the brain lit up.
The scientists said that when you think of a screwdriver, there isn't a single "screwdriver" area that lights up. Instead, you think of how it looks, what it feels like in your hand, what it's used for. You might think of construction workers, or your favorite screwdriver in your workbench at home. So lots of areas in the brain "light up".
What's amazing to me is that it appeared to be the SAME AREAS for DIFFERENT people.
As an example of this, the NPR production assistant (who was just visiting and helping with the interview) got hooked up to the MRI and was shown the flashcards. The computer, by looking at her brain, successfully guessed 10 out of 10. Even though the computer "learned" from someone else!
I suppose someone who'd never seen a screwdriver before wouldn't have the same sort of response, so it's probably limited to people with the same cultural backgrounds.
Pretty neat stuff.
Actually, not only Intel is working on that kind of stuff. I got one of those and it is working (well, kind of ;-) ).
The Warrior's bland acronym, MMI, obscures the true horror of this monstrosity. Its inventors promise a new era of genius, but meanwhile unscrupulous power brokers use its forcible installation to violate the sanctity of unwilling human minds. They are creating their own private army of demons.
In the future...
"Wait, Dad, you mean you used to have to move your arm to change the channel on the TV?"
"That's nothing, son. Great-Grandpa had to actually get up off the sofa and move to the TV to turn a dial."
Son physically reels. "Whoa, stop, you're blowin' my mind. But they did have motor-sofas to move you to the TV, right?"
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
1. Arrest suspected terrorist.
2. Force a chip into his head if he does not already have one.
3. Connect the chip to a device that will show whatever you are thinking on a screen.
4. Interrogate the suspected terrorist, even if he won't talk he will likely be stupid enough to think about the answers they want.
5. ?????
6. Profit!!!!
After years of not using a signature, I am going to make one to say the following: Fuck Beta
when someday nanobots will build an interface directly inside the brain?
This is not the sig you're looking for.
Bullshit.
Oh, the "silicon" part of the technology may be ready. However any foreign body inside a human body is susceptible to 1) chronic inflammation (which isn't so bad if it's around the metal holding your shattered bones together, after all, you can always take the metal out or at worst amputate the limb) and b) infection.
Now, hands up who is willing to have a device implanted in their brain that might cause permanent brain damage, bacterial meningitis (and all of its sequellae) or death?
Lab rats, as usual, will have the advantage (?) of having their intellect enhanced with implants long, long before we humans will.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
"I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
I regret that I only have one mod point to give per post.
Seriously, this is a great idea. Only teenagers would agree to such a ridiculous implant, and you could rootkit the bastards and zap them when they piss on your car on a Friday night.
This message was scanned by European governments and contains no terrorism.
The convenience of being able to navigate to a URL without having to type it is a really limited example. How about writing music with it? Being able to notate exactly what's playing in your head without needing to manually write a single note down? Weeks worth of work reduced to a few minutes! Or art: Can't draw? Just visualize!
Anything you can think about but can't actually do would be fair game.
Even with those sorts of apps, I still wouldn't get an implant unless my skull was being opened up for some other reason already. It's certainly not a fair tradeoff against something as simple as web browsing, as the summary suggests. I'm all for the braincaps. That's where BCI technology's headed anyway. And those have the distinct advantage of being removable as well...
Why, oh why does everyone at Intel think that people just want to 'surf the web' with whatever they happen to invent? You invent freaking brain implants and the first obvious use becomes surfing the web?
It could not be ... `write code` or `use photoshop` or .. anything even remotely challenging to a human brain?
Ah well.
I wonder if this means that if a scientist implanted this sort of implant into an animal that we would be able to figure out what it is thinking.
I really don't want to have an implant in my head for people to "keylog" or pop up spam, et al. However, this could really benefit medical science by giving the physically disabled a means to work computers more easily. Not only that but this technology can be used in medical science. One could control a prosthesis or other equipment with much greater control. Accident victims and soldiers who have lost limbs may even be able to regain near 100% function, even with something as intricate as a working hand. People with debilitating diseases or conditions, Stephen Hawking comes to mind, would be able to enjoy much more independence with the right equipment being driven by their still very capable mind. While the potential for abuse exists and must be guarded against, I see the potential benefits making this technology worth pursuing.
It seems like they're at the point where they can recognize thought patterns. They intend to map those patterns to a UI. Just the other day I found myself sitting in front of a PC and browsing the web (imagine that). I've been using a Mac a lot lately. I wanted to scroll the page down and I found myself reaching for the touch pad to do that nifty two finger drag motion.
Some where between wanting to scroll the page down and the actual muscle action of reaching for the non-existent track pad was a series of neuro-chemical impulses. It seems like the researchers are identifying those. It would be kind of cool to be able to move a pointer around the screen and do basic web browsing actions (forward, backward, click, scroll, etc) without ever having to reach for the mouse. It seems like I first read about people using alpha waves to control mouse pointers over a decade ago at this point. It's about time they're getting to the point of doing something that might be useful.
Now once they get to the point of bringing up search results based on our thoughts, that is when I will start worrying.
While technology is getting better at imaging people's brains, there's still a lot of lag involved. fMRIs for example look at blood flow to see what areas of a brain are in use and at best get about one update every second. That doesn't necessarily mean it can register a command every second though, since there would have to be some sort of threshold which determines what command is executed, if any. As for brainwave sensors, there is a LOT of noise in brainwaves. Which means that a device that is sensitive to them needs to insensitive enough that random commands aren't executed. For this reason it has proven very difficult to control something through a brainwave sensor. But it can be done and one can get better with training, but when a mouse or keyboard is so much faster, and more accurate, I don't see any Computer Brain interface taking off anytime soon, if ever. The most I could see coming from a computer brain interface would be something that controls your mouse pointer, but slower and less accurate than a regular mouse, and requires a LOT of concentration.
http://xkcd.com/644/
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Yeah, a brain implant might be the state of the art for some operating systems, but a lobotomy is probably the more appropriate procedure for Windows users.
Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts.
And there you have it. Why would we want to set up a direct connection between the human mind and a 64-bit multicore computer with many gigabytes of RAM, over a terabyte of storage, and a high-speed connection to the international network of computing machinery? To do large-scale science? To create art as it has never been created before? To help throw off the shackles of oppression and exploitation? Shit, to manage your budget and do your taxes? No. To surf the web.
Well, at least they're not kidding themselves over at the ever-practical Intel.
Is the word "Thank you"?
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
welcome our new brain slug overlords...
thank god, to fat to type.
Let me know when I can flood your brain with goatse and tubgirl from the comfort of my command line...
Honest to Dog, I swear we've been "just a decade away" from mass distribution of optical implants to aid the blind since the SEVENTIES! I've given up on stories about the distribution of ALL brain interfaces that are "just a decade away (Really, trust me!)" until I see local news stories about my neighborhood hospital installing them and insurance paying for them.
The good news: No more DRM
The bad news: Everyone will be required to get an implant that determines what movie/tv show/song you are being exposed to, your credit card will be billed automatically. This implant will be done at the patient's expense and not having one will be punishable with a fine of $1 billion (recompense for all the entertainment you are almost assuredly stealing).
Says RIAA spokesman: "It really is the only way to beat the pirates once and for all"
> when someday nanobots will build an interface directly inside the brain?
Without you even knowing about it.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
I've been alpha testing this and it works well. For example to add my signature and submit this post I simply think "Anonymous Coward" and then "submit active form". Couldn't be simpler.
Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
I doubt these king of interfaces are useful since people are in better control of their hands than their thoughts.
you won't have a choice.
it could theoretically enter your system without you even knowing, in your sleep perhaps, and activate inside your body. nano-censors/inputs could send/recieve data to you and control your actions. an inside source at the CIA told me that they have had this type of technology since at least 1995.
it is not beyond our controlling-every-action-we-do government to do this.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. I feel an Iron Maiden riff coming on.
Samuel R Delany wrote of a brain-computer interface in his novel "Nova" way back in 1968 or so.
Do you really want someone drilling holes in your head and shoving wires into it just so you don't have to type and use a mouse? Do you have any idea how many of these things you'll need shoved through your skull to be able to fore go just those two activities? (Hundreds) Do you realize that implants hasten neuron death and as they die you'll need to associated electrodes replaced? And just who makes enough money to pay for undergoing dozens (at least!) of invasive implantation surgeries requiring real time CT or MR imaging? You insurance damn sure won't pay for it. And don't give me that "for the disabled" crap -- they don't get the expensive stuff either.
You don't need implants for brain "waves". Implants are better suited for detecting neural firing patterns on a much smaller scale. But you can get the job done with "waves" (EEG) without having to trephan yourself.
There are now EEG systems that have the premap on the electrode, making impedance issues irrelevant and signal balancing automatic. There are EEG analysis packages that use continuous wavelet analysis to do time/frequency analysis similar to the "thousands of channels" analysis radio-astronomers enjoy. Between these two, and 'training' a system to recognize a particular person's EEG patterns well enough to control a device like a computer, the other EEG related problems like skin potentials, EMG and EKG artifact become non-issues. And as far as localization, I can reliably localize 40 to 50 signals simultaneously with this technology using a high density (256 or more) electrode EEG.
This technology exists now. The computing power necessary to operate in as a control system in real time is beyond most people's ability to purchase. So if the nice folks from Intel will kindly put down the cranial drill and get back to what they're good at, maybe by 2020 we can have the sort of computing power sitting on everyone's desk if not sitting in a handheld device in their pocket.
And get away from that fMRI. I don't care what you think you saw. I saw the fMRI "brain scan" of the dead salmon showing it lighting up as it recognized a human emotion from a photo it had been shown before (but while still dead).
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
I don't want to have a video card, hard drive, or CPU that I can't easily upgrade and replace. Why would I want something that would require surgery to do that?
Oh. You're using a Creative Labs Brainblaster XL? Their new Brainblaster OMG has twice the bandwidth and three times the signal resolution.
Yeah, maybe you do get a better signal through hardwiring but lets see what happens in 5 years when I can buy the latest equipment and you are either stuck with the older tech or have to get your head sawn open
again.
Add a lazy boy chair, a huge bag of cheetoes balanced over my left shoulder to let the little nuggets flow with the gentlest nudge, beer, and Depends. This is gonna be great.
Someone please mod parent up "Funny".(Just don't click the link!)
This guy is fucking hilarious.
"Pass by but don't miss it."
American marketing firms could learn something from this dude. I am still trying to figure out if he used Google Translate or crafted this fine specimen of marketing himself.
Man, can't seem to get the image of tracksuit wearing "cooldude" runnin' laps at the track in his Ugg Boots out of my head. Is that SIZE 1-24 Air Jordans, or can I just buy one?
No way I'm buying a Playstation 5 BC!
this might be just the ticket. It's not just about you. Just look at the difficult someone with cerebral palsy or ALS has with motor skills. There's a brain in there, sometimes a brilliant one (Stephen Hawking, for example). Something like this could be a wonderful enabler for them.
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
Come on, it's not brain surgery... oh wait
No, the very best spam is in World of Warcraft, where a large number of trolls are skillfully killed near the auction house so that their fallen corpses spell out the web site of their gold selling operation rendered in 3D. Makes me want to meet them so that I can express my deep admiration for their innovative minds and 1337 development skills, immediately prior to applying a commonly-available heavy kinetic impeller to each of their carpal bones in succession.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
Emotiv has developed a headset that lets you interact with the computer with your thoughts. The device is available now and doesn't require any skull drilling. For a video of a first-time user controlling an onscreen cube with their brain visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5GX8moQzOOM More details at: http://emotiv.com/
*thud*
"Sir..?"
Microfsoft Windows for brainstems will never ever crash how could you think such a thing? OS X for brainstems will make you a better interior decorator. Linux for brainstems will come with 27 different incompatible brain managers, and will *always* download the correct libraries required to eat your dinner everytime, plus you will be able to hack your brain with open sores software, how cool is that?
Tired of all the isms, don't exploit people as an employer, or a government, mmmmK?
In soviet Russia....
can it play crysis?
"Circuitry Man" the movie come true! LOL
Well that's not that hard to imagine, since silicone implants have been controlling men's minds since the early 60's...
Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
what a segmentation fault feels like...
So if this is the future...where's my jet pack?
Dammit! Why does the browser always brings me to pron sites? I wasn't even thinking of it. I swear!
Why is that a troll? I really am a truck driver. I have a commercial driver license with doubles, tanker and hazmat endorsements and will prove it to anyone who doubts it.
This ain't rocket surgery.
Breast implants controlling computers?.... errrr... nervermind >
everybody should go to his site but don't buy anything. perhaps we can slashdot it and drive up his bandwidth costs.
Computer implants could control brains.
WiFi for me, please.
So, way back in the day (1989?) I did a science project whereby I used testing of skin resistance to control a menu on a computer. It was way primitive, and way slow, but it did work--if you carefully trained yourself to be able to control your tension level to raise and lower the needle. Unfortunately, didn't win because nobody but me could make it work. And besides, I didn't have a hypothesis.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
I realize that abstract thought recognition would be great - I think about NASA and get nasa.gov, or something. However, I'd really be thrilled even to have mental controls mapped a keyboard + mouse.
The problem isn't technology it's biology: brain surgery is risky and it will remain risky in 2020.
What would hacking be like? I'd love to see what mind control is like in a real manifestation.
"Wait, Dad, you mean you used to have to move your arm to change the channel on the TV?"
Video Game Boy #2 (John Thornton): "This is a video game."
Video Game Boy #1 (Elijah Wood): "I got it working."
Video Game Boy #2: "My dad taught me about these."
Marty: "It is Wild Gunman."
Video Game Boy #2: "How do you play this thing?"
Marty: "I'll show you kid. I'm a crack shot at this."
Video Game Boy #1: "You mean you have to use your hands?"
Video Game Boy #2: "That's like a baby's toy."
"You are only young once, but you can be immature forever." -www.animemusicvideos.org
(2021) In other news, the first brain trojan infection has been spotted.
(2020) A huge increase in the neural spam traffic has started. Most of Earths inhabitants are suffering from the Nigerian prince pandemia.
(2023) 37% of Earths inhabitants are under the control of the new super brain bot net Morlock.
(2004) All hail the Hivemind Morlock!
The department of pre-crime will be able to see who thinks screwdrivers are for stabbing.
While electromagnetic implants will certainly appear first (they are already used for deep-brain stimulation to staunch epileptic attacks), I believe it will be the non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that really will come into widespread use. One step on the way there is a new technique called "Optogenetics" http://www.stanford.edu/group/dlab/optogenetics/. Another is "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation which has already been used to both induce and suppress brain states. There are a variety of other techniques being investigated, e.g., near-infrared for monitoring oxygen uptake which also promise good resolution imaging of brain structure and activity. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMFRI) is the key tool being used now to map cerebral structure and function. The Koreans have had a 10-year initiative going in reverse-engineering the brain that is now showing very significant progress to the extent that universities such as Seoul National University, Hanyang, and KAIST have actually created multidisciplinary "Brain Engineering" departments. Last week I drove a toy slot car on a track with an external brain sensor ... you'll be able to buy it at Toys R US for Christmas this year. Believe it.
There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about. -- John von Neumann
As far as I can tell, mind-controlled gimmicks have **always** been 10 years in the future, since the 1960s.
I'm in for testing! Cool!
I'm actually rather surprised that most commenters here have been bothering with trivialities like web-surfing.
It's also quite surprising how many people think that the FA's suggestion is to install video cards and CPUs into
your brain rather than just a tool to allow you to seamlessly interface with the computer.
This has unlimited possibilities and, like it or not, is inevitable. As a race the only thing we do well is use tools
(because we are clever). We have developed an amazing set of tools that no animal on this planet ever developed
because our brains allow us to interact and cooperate with each other. We network.. Higher-bandwidth networking
is the next natural step.
People are wondering when we will be able to just 'add memory' to our brains etc. This is it. If you can interface
effortlessly with a computer you have unlimited storage capacity (although it's more like carrying an encyclopedia
around you everywhere where you can instantaneously find information rather than actually associative memory).
As others pointed out, you can annotate music, write scientific document, use CAS (e.g. Mathematica) systems.
This is the next natural step of technology and it will immensely boost our evolution, more so than most inventions
so far.
Idiots! They've got it the wrong way 'round.
Or have they?
I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
This had better be modular and upgradable. Five years after an implant in my BRAIN I'd want the LATEST technology, not the old, obsolete junk.
Keep Doing Good.
Bring on peter hamilton's neural nanonics http://nightsdawn.wikia.com/wiki/Neural_nanonics
A: I never use my brain implant without cerebellumfox-noscript-adblock plus.
B: But advertising revenue is what pays for all that content that streams into your mind! And mining your memories is what helps marketers know what to sell to you!
A: I was fine when they had simple relevant text advertisements, but ever since they moved to flashing banner ads in my dreams, that was too much.
The rants against Comcast would be even better.
Implats will control human brains...
cualquier vaina hagase el muerto
Does this mean I can have that neural interface for my flying car?
Now we just wait for the windows 2020 brain edition and hope that our brain fries before the side effects kick in...
And I bet they will blame the lost of revenue on the plugin.
Because we all know watching stuff for free drains money from the them.
Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
In my 2020es? duh!
It's time to jump on the Neuroinformatics bandwagon...
"Sum Ergo Cogito"
I am all for interfacing with computers through brain waves, however they must keep the contact between the 2 physical and not develop
a wifi type, as it would be hard to "turn off the transmittion" I could see someone experiencing pain after an accident or maybe have mayhem in their brain at the moment they are hit with a heart attack, how would those particular moments be interpreted by the machine hooked up, as well...let's not go too far with this technology. I could well imagine a keyboard to say interface with a computer instead of typing but not to operate a car in traffic with many other cars on the road....that would be a little too much asking for trouble.
I do not wish my computer gets as messy as my mind!
Joe Haldeman-
Forever Peace
The Dueling Machine
What corner of the web will it go to? What forms will it auto-fill in for me? What charges will I find on my credit card at the end of the month?
Hmm, well I would think that in this case being goatse'ed, rickrolled or other such things would really, really suck. It may be that there's not a tech level where you could overwrite somebody's brain via such an implant, or steal information from it, but it would probably be easier to send somebody to a matrix-like VR and trick them with a bad URL.
Hmmm... what's this "twogirls1cup.vr" file.
For that matter, prankers could have had a lot of fun with a holodeck too. April fool's would surely be a great thing.
Time to put the "Intel Inside" sticker on my forehead?
Table-ized A.I.
I will no longer need to actually move my head when playing my DK?