Thoraiya DyerHow'd you like an implant for dinner?
November 3rd 2006 16:57
Meet the Neurochip
Impaired brains just got lucky. We've received a report from the University of Washington that there is now hope for people with damaged brain nerve cell connections to regain their lost motor skills through the aid of the Neurochip.
The experiment went this way: Scientists attached the Neurochip on top of the monkeys' heads. The Neurochip recorded their brain activities 24/7. The scientists watched closely how the implanted chip was able to mimic the signals of the neurons after recording them. The Neurochip was then able to convert these mimicked signals and send a similar stimulus so that it now acts as an artificial nerve connection.
Uh-oh.
Is this a classic case of Frankenstein meets world? If the goal of the Neurochip is to rehabilitate patients who were affected with stroke, paralysis and other brain-injury related cases, then it's a welcome discovery. But from a skewed perspective:
"The possibility that these neural signals can be recorded directly and used to operate a computer or to control mechanical devices outside of the body has been driving the rapidly expanding field of brain-computer interfaces, often abbreviated BCI. The recent study suggests that the brain’s nerve signals can be harnessed to create changes within itself."
Does this mean the Neurochip may actually be programmed to control other brain functions and possibly the entire human being as well?
Hmm. There could be a real cyborg lurking among us now.
News source:
Daily Tech
Impaired brains just got lucky. We've received a report from the University of Washington that there is now hope for people with damaged brain nerve cell connections to regain their lost motor skills through the aid of the Neurochip.
The experiment went this way: Scientists attached the Neurochip on top of the monkeys' heads. The Neurochip recorded their brain activities 24/7. The scientists watched closely how the implanted chip was able to mimic the signals of the neurons after recording them. The Neurochip was then able to convert these mimicked signals and send a similar stimulus so that it now acts as an artificial nerve connection.
Uh-oh.
Is this a classic case of Frankenstein meets world? If the goal of the Neurochip is to rehabilitate patients who were affected with stroke, paralysis and other brain-injury related cases, then it's a welcome discovery. But from a skewed perspective:
"The possibility that these neural signals can be recorded directly and used to operate a computer or to control mechanical devices outside of the body has been driving the rapidly expanding field of brain-computer interfaces, often abbreviated BCI. The recent study suggests that the brain’s nerve signals can be harnessed to create changes within itself."
Does this mean the Neurochip may actually be programmed to control other brain functions and possibly the entire human being as well?
Hmm. There could be a real cyborg lurking among us now.
News source:
Daily Tech
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