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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."
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?
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.
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.
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.
Yeah, that anime sci-fi doesn't seem too far-fetched now, does it?
I was thinking that, too.
The oldest computer I have around is a 1990 Amiga 500; I mostly use new kit, of course. Anyone who gets an implant is going to be stuck with it pretty much for life, or commit to brain surgery every 3-5 years to install the newer one.
On the other hand, a 'trode net or hat would seem doable; sign me up for that.
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.
It's the ultimate virus:
* Computers learn to browse the net based on your thoughts
* Average guy things about sex how often? Every 5 minutes?
* How many guys in the average office within "sensor" distance of several computers?
No one can use their computer anymore: it's All pr0n, all the time.
when someday nanobots will build an interface directly inside the brain?
This is not the sig you're looking for.
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.
You know, some of us are getting damn tired of technology and the fast pace of life it provide. As much as I'm a technology geek, sometimes there is such as thing as "too much". Personally, I'm at my breaking point with the long work hours and complicated shit that's supposed to work, but doesn't.
As for the Serengeti, I'm ready for a change back to my primal human roots. I have a feeling I'll be much happier and live longer with less daily stress! Time to go hunting...
Life is not for the lazy.
So if you are good at studying, you can already max out the bandwidth your brain has for learning new things.
That assumes a few things though: that your occipital lobe is the highest bandwidth input possible, that visualizing symbols (words,numbers,etc.) is an efficient means of acquiring knowledge, that the brain couldn't learn faster if it had more efficient inputs, that direct memory creation isn't possible, and that your brain's wiring is optimal.
I don't think we really know the answers to any of those yet.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
... it's All pr0n, all the time.
You say like its a bad thing.
Face your daemons!
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.
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.
I'm not a great composer, so I don't really know, but I don't think that the difficult part of composition is actually the transcription (sure, it's tedious, but I don't think it is the hard part).
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
Ah, but see his method probably comes with continuous instant gratification without all the downsides associated with actual girls. And as long as he stays plugged in, he will likely get the same positive sensations as the real thing. It does however mean the end of his line, but without the social Interaction plugin, his line was likely non-propagating anyway.
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.
Playboy Says Breast Implants Could Control Brain Implants by 2025.
That's a very widespread myth. Primitive people had to pretty much work from dawn to dusk every day in order to just barely survive. No weekends, no vacations, leisure time very limited because you have to prepare food, shelter, etc. It's only in highly advanced civilizations that people started having so much leisure time. Seriously.
Or maybe what you reproduce in your head isn't exactly what you want to draw or play, but your brain tricks you into thinking it's right. After all, you can visualize an image, but can you visualize the exact lines and curves you would have to draw to put it on paper? If you can't do that, you aren't really visualizing the image; you're just visualizing a vague ideal of the image.
It's like hearing your voice in a recording versus hearing your voice when you speak - it sounds good until it leaves your head.
Here's one question: can I draw what is in front of me in an easily recognizable manner?
Yeah, actually. Apparently the drawing class you had wasn't very good, but it's something anyone can do. If you are inclined towards self-teaching, I would suggest reading "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." Otherwise I would try to find a better art teacher.
It's similar to what I'm doing now: the words appear on the screen as they come out of my mind. The intervening steps are unconscious, trained initially in junior high school and honed by long practice. Somebody who didn't know how to type would find it more difficult to get the words from the mind to the screen.
This is a good example, actually. Typing is a WAY easier skill to learn than thinking of useful things to say, and the proof is looking at the average essay of a high schooler. I might even offer myself as an example......I can type rather well, but I am not as good a writer as even someone like Stephen King. And even getting to the minimal level where I am now, where I can post coherent slashdot comments that often get moderated up (not today, though, apparently), has taken a lot of time. And for that matter, Stephen King worked HARD at writing to build his skill.
Qxe4