Machines Controlling Brains Controlling Humans

Posted by Daniel Shain

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Is it me, or has there been an uptick lately in the coverage of electronic devices that plug directly into our brain and translate the world around us almost as well as (and in some cases better than) our brain can? This stuff is pretty darned impressive.

Let's start with the BrainPort. I saw this tidbit from Scientific American with a little help from Engadget and felt compelled to watch the corresponding video. It basically restores sight to the blind with your tongue. That's right, it uses "nerves on the tongue's surface to send light signals to the brain." Just pop the thing into your mouth and within about 15 minutes of your first time using it you will be to begin seeing the world around you without the use of your eyes. Over time, it becomes the natural method for sight... according to the article, it's just like riding a bike. Check out that video. It works.

When I read this it reminded me of a segment I had seen recently on 60 minutes called Brain Power. Over the course of the segment, someone who was not just blind but completely paralyzed was able to navigate a computer with just their mind. What was most amazing to me about this technology is that they were using the same sort of computer you and I use - it was literally running Windows XP in one case, and someone was just moving the mouse with their mind instead of their hands. Specially designed GUIs on top of Windows were also displayed to make the usefulness more evident since standard XP clearly isn't designed for this sort of use.

This stuff has moved from science fiction to cutting edge. It's not theory anymore, it's physical, attainable, check-out-the-video-to-see-it-in-action-and-this-is-not-a-sim Tech. They're not perfect - the technology on 60 Minutes was still slow and occasionally inaccurate, and the BrainPort vision is kind of grainy - but we're talking about restoring sight to the blind here, so who's going to split hairs? In the case of the BrainPort, it's even been deemed commercially viable and should be available for sale by late 2009 for $10,000, which is a whole lot of money but somehow not as much as you'd think it would be considering what it does. What an age we live in, no?

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Comments

  • By: Monica Aug 26, 2009 12:59 PM

    If this can help the blind and those with spinal injuries, it will revolutionize health care in the process. Disease Conditions

  • By: Monica Aug 26, 2009 12:59 PM

    If this can help the blind and those with spinal injuries, it will revolutionize health care in the process. Disease Conditions

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