William Gibson in his 1984 novel Neuromancer predicted that we might connect the computer to our brain. His dark story was a fiction 25 years ago, but now it becomes a reality.
We are closer than ever to interface our brain with the computer.
One of the most promising developments is BrainGate (currently during clinical trials conducted by Cyberkinetics). BrainGate consist of a sensor in the form of sophisticated micro-electrodes implanted directly into motor cortex and a decoder - dedicated software translating brain activity into useful commands for external devices. At this stage the majority of tests are conducted in patients with severe forms of paralysis, like Quadriplegia or Locked-in syndrome.
Application? Prosthetic limbs control, complex computer operation with augmented reality, therapy for neuronal-based disorder (in expansion of deep-brain stimulation).
Certainly, we don't know enough about the brain at this stage to be able to create complex interfaces, but even hooking motor cortex with functional microchip will be a milestone in neurocybernetics.
Problems?
What problems? ;-)
But seriously, one outlined in this month issue of Wired is neurosecurity. Folks at the Medical Device Security Center (MDSC) showed that they could reprogram implantable hearth regulator with simple radio equipment. Now, think about your neuroimplant being hacked, and your prosthetic limb, anti-depressive brain stimulator or remote control function (;-) taken over? So MDSC is now developing encrypting security methods for neuroimplants.
A Firewall for your brain.
[photo credits: Cyberkinetics]
We are closer than ever to interface our brain with the computer.
One of the most promising developments is BrainGate (currently during clinical trials conducted by Cyberkinetics). BrainGate consist of a sensor in the form of sophisticated micro-electrodes implanted directly into motor cortex and a decoder - dedicated software translating brain activity into useful commands for external devices. At this stage the majority of tests are conducted in patients with severe forms of paralysis, like Quadriplegia or Locked-in syndrome.
Application? Prosthetic limbs control, complex computer operation with augmented reality, therapy for neuronal-based disorder (in expansion of deep-brain stimulation).
Certainly, we don't know enough about the brain at this stage to be able to create complex interfaces, but even hooking motor cortex with functional microchip will be a milestone in neurocybernetics.
Problems?
What problems? ;-)
But seriously, one outlined in this month issue of Wired is neurosecurity. Folks at the Medical Device Security Center (MDSC) showed that they could reprogram implantable hearth regulator with simple radio equipment. Now, think about your neuroimplant being hacked, and your prosthetic limb, anti-depressive brain stimulator or remote control function (;-) taken over? So MDSC is now developing encrypting security methods for neuroimplants.
A Firewall for your brain.
[photo credits: Cyberkinetics]
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you assume your brain can't be hacked into anyhow?
ReplyDeleteI don't need any prosthetics at the moment, so I'd rather have some extra senses, which to my uneducated mind seems rather simple -- take one of the underutilized nerve endings that leads to a seemingly appropriate area of the brain and interface it with a GPS or a compas. My hopeful presumption is that the brain would manage to learn how to use the data.
As for the security, you're right, but it's nothing new. I assume prosthetics manufacturers are behind the curve on this one, but generally speaking any computer can be hacked into, and therefore should be protected if it's important. My non-expert advice would be some EMI shielding or subdermal switches to enable any communication.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that we don’t have a good brain map yet. We have some data on parts of the brain, but we are missing the whole picture and some more complex cognitive abilities. So motor cortex is for example well mapped, that’s why any motor activity (like moving the prosthetic limb or cursor on the screen) is potentially accessible. But your GPS compass could be trickier. The function of such compass would be to give you better ‘sense’ of direction and orientation. But first, we would have to precisely define where such areas are in the brain and how they link to your cognitive skills of orientation, how are they distributed around the brain, etc.
ReplyDeleteShortly – we are able to put microchip in the areas which are more directly linked, mapped and localized in the brain. More complex abilities, like recognition of objects, or orientation in city environment, might be distributed in number of places around the brain.
Without more detailed brain map, we can’t really move to some areas.