http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/05...rain_study.htmlBraingate article

This is really cool. While it has been in development for a while in monkeys this article really explains what has happened.
The baingate is a small chip that is placed on the persons brain and senses the firing neurons. It send this information to a processing computer which translates it. The current test subject, Matthew Nagle, has been able to move a curser across the computer screen, turn the TV on/off, change channels etc.

The tests that they've done previously on monkeys allowed the monkeys to integrate mechanical arm into themselves.

What are peoples views on this new technology?

Personally I think that it could be a very good as quadriplegic people would be able to get a life back but it also has its potential problems. I don’t like the view that certain government officials have for using this to control robots that are in the field so that they have human intelligence but the efficiency of a machine.


Some more links:

http://www.rybak-et-al.net/chapin.html
http://www.jsonline.com/alive/news/dec04/281287.asp
http://www.cyberkineticsinc.com/content/me...s/braingate.jsp
http://learning.berkeley.edu/cipolat/PDF/I...ainImplants.pdf
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/05...rain_study.html
http://www.livescience.com/technology/050218_monkey_arm.html

These links include some other experiments that have been done with this type of technology, including external sensors.

 

 

 

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What do I think, Argoth?

I think I've been waiting for this technology to mature since I was 3. Who doesn't want to be a cyborg? Right now it's a cursor that is controlled, but in a few years, it might be a fully-functional leg or a gun for an arm. Yes, this technology could transform daily life into a video game, and I, for one, am all about that.

Weak? Buy robotic limbs. Impotent? Get a robotic penis. Bored? Install a wireless ethernet card in your brain.

This is perhaps the coolest thing to ever happen to the human race. Cyborgs will be our best defense against the robots when artificial intelligence becomes such that the robots initiate war against us. Supposing we don't get wiped out by a plague or meteorite first, that is.

Pretty standard scenario, really.

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LOL, ya but what if those little chips in our head turn out to control us instead of the other way around. Hard to defend against the evil robot invasion if we can't lift our cyborg arm, or worse if our cyborg leg kicks our butts.

Seriously though, I see both pros and cons to this tech. It is inevitable, but I am not sure that it is 100% benifitial to the human race. Sure its great for the handycapped, and for that reason alone I say the good outweighs the bad, but what about the guy who gets a robotic arm so he can outpitch any pitcher in the MBA? Sippery sloap that.

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wow, thats pretty hardcore.
i mean the things u cud do with that type of tevchnolgoy are endless.
But there r probably side affects of using it for long amoutns of time, like head aches etc also if the tech was mass marketed ppl cud get amazingly lazy.

just thinking of all the applicatiosn for this tech is koo. u cudactually have working mech suits and stuff

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exactly, just imagine a guy like this Matthew Nagle being able to just get up and walk out of his weelchair thanks to a working mechanical suit.

Of course this also means that there could be military type mech suits available too. Just what the world needs, more military technology (note the sarcasm).

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Currently the way the chip is designed it doesn't send signals in to the brain but it is obviously very adaptable to do so...



There really shouldn't be any headache side effects from this. The interface just reads what your neurons are doing. To control this you use the same process as when you control your arm. And of course people could become extremely lazy! You now the scenario where we evolve into just a brain!



They are attempting to not have to use any sort of prosthetics to get the paralyzed people move again. What they what to do is to be able to send the neuron signals to the rest of the brain bypassing the break in the nervous system. In a way much cooler and nicer for the person, turns them into less of a freak.


The things that I am most worried about the tech is what is most likely to happen, the military side of the technology, here is the dream of one the military people who are supporting the research of this tech:


This was from here: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.03/b...rain&topic_set=

While the advantageous are very numerous this tech. needs to be watch very closely because of the VERY bad things that could come from it......



But still I cannot wait to see if it becomes available to the public!

 

 

 

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This is quite interesting technology, defeintely will open up new fields for people with disablities.

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In the future, not having a chainsaw attached to your arm will be considered a disability. Not being able to shoot laser beams out of your eyes will be a disability. The inability to jump 60 feet in the air will be grounds to obtain your disability license plate.

If you can't beat a gorilla at a fistfight in the world of tomorrow, then you might as well start drawing your paycheck from the government and settle down to a life of staying home all day with your pets, because you will be useless, as far as society at large is concerned.

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On the day this technology is in public,
no one without legs or arms or heads(lol, joking) is less strong anymore.
no one will be limp anymore!

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This technology has its potential to be a great advancement, but just think about it being in the wrong hands. If there were an army of these cyborg-like people, it wouldn't be good. I guess you could EMP them but still, that would besically be your only real defense against them. On another note, I'm a pretty fat guy, so having the ability to run like 60 mph down the road would be killer.

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