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The Future of Putting Chips Inside Our Brains

Posted by Zonk on Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:20 AM
from the sounds-like-fun dept.
Biotech Technology Science
Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) have developed chips which someday might be inserted in the brains of people affected by epilepsy or who have lost a limb. These neuroprosthetic chips 'can interpret signals in the brain and stimulate neurons to perform correctly.' The University claims this is the future of medicine. This is maybe a little bit extreme. Just the same, the researchers are already studying these chips with rats and hope to have a prototype ready within 4 years that could be tested on humans."
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[+] Hardware: Data Stored in Live Neurons 100 comments
Light Licker writes "Israeli researchers have created artificial memories for the first time — in a tangle of neurons growing in the lab. Using a specific chemical they could add to the pattern of impulses in a network of the nerve cells. 'Many believe that complex patterns of neuronal firing are templates for memory, which the brain uses when storing information. Imprinting such "memories" on artificial neural networks provides a potential way to develop cyborg chips, says Ben-Jacob. These would be useful for monitoring biological systems like the brain and blood since, being human, they would respond to the same chemicals.' The new pattern lasted two days — good enough for biological RAM?"
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  • Wirelsss Cybernetics (Score:3, Interesting)

    by epistemiclife (1101021) on Saturday July 28 2007, @12:27AM (#20020481)
    "The future of medicine." I'm sure. In any case, I'm always happy to hear about something to help people to live better lives, even if it sounds a bit too much like something out of a cyberpunk novel. What does concern me are things such as, say, sensitivity to EMP. I'm sure that there will be ways to work around this... This is interesting: "We have intermediate designs that connect to the brain, interpret signals and can wirelessly send commands to devices," he said. "This is another path of technology we're pursuing." While the summary doesn't mention this, the prospect of controlling things across the room with a thought is perhaps not as far away as one might think.
    • As I think about it, controlling things across the room with a thought is potentially disastrous for most normally functioning people, given the rise in obesity and general sedentary nature of of many. Can anyone imagine the day when someone is too lazy to use a remote to turn on the TV? Convenience is good when it improves quality of life. The ability to control things without moving would be great for someone who can't move;giving everyday people the means completely eliminate what little exercise they
      • Controlling things with your mind is just a bad idea... Wait until we get "thought-click" ads and purchases on the internet. Advertising is already so all-pervasive that it's a form of mind control in many cases. Imagine going about your daily business and seeing a banner ad on a page. If your first impulse is to buy, you'd sure as hell better hope your bank transactions aren't thought-controlled too.
        • How, exactly, is using your body without your mind any different from the average person?

          In all seriousness, convenience is a double edged sword. I can see some practical uses. Say, starting your car from inside on a cold winter morning. Or maybe turning on a speakerphone or flashlight in case of an emergency. But a TV remote? That's when laziness just comes in. I consider myself to be rather lazy, but I'll still at least walk across the room to get something, or even get up and LOOK for something rather th
  • Ooo! What flavour?

  • Feedback and Learning (Score:3, Insightful)

    by MichaelSmith (789609) on Saturday July 28 2007, @12:29AM (#20020495) Homepage Journal

    Lets hope that if people try this on a real brain with Epilepsy they read The Terminal Man [wikipedia.org] first.

    As for me, I will continue rely on home brewed behaviour modification to treat my seizure disorder. Though I am pleased to see more treatment options for people with very serious conditions.

    • > Lets hope that if people try this on a real brain with Epilepsy they read The Terminal Man first.

      Sure, and Johnny Mnemonic, and Jake 2.0, and of course The Matrix. Oh, and hey, what about that SG1 episode with the fat bald guy in their heads that made all the food taste really good?

      There's never going to be a /. article on neural implants without people spouting science fiction at it like it's relevant, is there? You'd think that getting The Terminal Man from the fiction section as opposed to getting s

      • The problem is that if people only think in terms of what fiction writers write, they're getting a very inaccurate and restricted view of the possible real consequences. The few things in fiction stories probably won't happen. There are many, many more things that could, far too many and some far too complex for most fiction writers to come up with. Believe me, brain scientists don't give a rosy rat's ass for what fiction says, but most are thinking way beyond any fiction.

        Indeed. And given recent comments from Michael Crichton (author of The Terminal Man) denying the science of global warming, the need to distinguish real science from science fiction becomes all that more important.

        • Wait a minute... A double-blind study? So the patients in the control group got fake chips implanted? I didn't know brain surgery had become that routine. Well, great if it is, I guess...

          Well, my guess would be that all of the patients in the study have real chips installed, but neither they nor the researchers know whether or not they are turned on at any particular time. One could turn them on or off externally and, over time, effectively double the sample size of the study over what it would be with half of the chips as "fakes." A good move considering, as you rightly imply, the risk of brain surgery.

          But as I said, I'm just guessing this is what they're doing.

  • I want a computer in my head that I can tell to do discrete calculations for me, since humans are so slow at them and mistake-prone. I'd love to be able to do 4096-bit RSA encryption in my head. Then the rest of my brain could concentrate on the problems the computer isn't good at.

    • I'd love to be able to do 4096-bit RSA encryption in my head

      Hmmm interesting. Because we don't have a specification for the storage structures in the brain, and rely on non-encrypted IO to reverse engineer such structures, encrypting your IO is effectively the same as encrypting your brain.

      Well done. If you are Greg Egan [wikipedia.org] I suggest you write a book about your idea. If you are not then I suggest you send it to Greg.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by E++99 (880734)

      I want a computer in my head that I can tell to do discrete calculations for me, since humans are so slow at them and mistake-prone. I'd love to be able to do 4096-bit RSA encryption in my head. Then the rest of my brain could concentrate on the problems the computer isn't good at.

      I'd be satisfied if I could just figure out the restaurant tip in my head.
    • How about something that filters out pointless conversation instead? In the middle of some intense thinking and and some numbskull walks wanting to share some boring story again? Expecting an urgent email but tired of reading each message as it pops up? Tired of having to concentrate and focus on "conversation" with the Wifey or kids (aka, saying "uh-huh" at the right time)?

      Get a Conversation Coprocessor! It handles mundane written and verbal conversations for you! Worried about missing something im
      • Married men across the world await to purchase your product, sir! My wife can make a 60-word phrase and turn it into a 500-word essay. And she wonders why I tune her out, waiting for the important bits!
    • Then the rest of my brain could concentrate on the problems the computer isn't good at.

      Such as finding a purpose for doing 4096-bit RSA in your head. Unless you mean doing 4096-bit RSA encryption in your head to your head, in which case the rest of your brain had better be concentrating on the key.
  • Why the uses mentioned are interesting wake me once they develop chips that allow a person to augment their memory. Even if the technology never gets to the point where you can download info or skill sets directly into your brain I can see the benefit of supplementing the natural storage capacity of the human brain with such devices.
    • I'm not sure that anyone has ever reached the "storage capacity" of his brain, or that there is any confirmation that such a thing exists. Our memory seems to be more of a dynamic thing than a static collection of information with an identifiable upper limit.

      • I'm not sure that anyone has ever reached the "storage capacity" of his brain, or that there is any confirmation that such a thing exists.

        If the brain can't reach its capacity within a lifetime, it's because it's so horribly slow at learning. I can copy Wikipedia onto my PocketPC in 5 minutes, how long would it take to memorize Wikipedia? There's no comparison.

        Since it won't be ingrained like natural memory, I am very curious to see how we'll perceive I/O with these devices. Will we feel it, hear it,

        • Re:What about memory storage? (Score:5, Interesting)

          by epistemiclife (1101021) on Saturday July 28 2007, @01:12AM (#20020715)
          That's an interesting thought. I have synesthesia , so I'm very familiar with experiencing certain things in ways that are foreign to most other people. It's interesting to ponder what types of sensations can be created by external forces applied directly to the brain. Some studies have shown that direct stimulation to some parts of the brain can produce first-person sensations, such as smell, taste, etc. I think that some type of great leap in the way that we understand the brain would be necessary before something like that could even be thinkable. Concerning your statement that we don't reach our brain capacity in our lifetime because we're slow at learning, there appears to be evidence to the contrary. First, consider all of the information we take in. It's true that most people do not assimilate (as far as we know) all of the textual, factual information that they encounter. However, we remember so much more than simple factual information. We remember not only facts, but events and sensations. We, furthermore, remember the associations. Consider this: In just one day, what is there to remember? There are people, conversations, feelings, environments, thoughts, countless objects. We don't necessarily remember all of it, but we remember quite a bit. Also consider some exceptional cases of people who can remember everything that they read (and read extremely quickly). There was a video about such a person on YouTube, but I can't seem to find it. He not only read at an incredible rate, but also could do calculations extremely quickly and reproduce entire landscapes. His brain has yet to get "full.' In addition, any autistic people have been shown to factor large primes extremely quickly. In any case, I think that it is very premature to refer to the brain as though it is merely a biological computer with a biological hard drive.

          • That's an interesting thought. I have synesthesia , so I'm very familiar with experiencing certain things in ways that are foreign to most other people.
            Have you ever considered doing UI design and testing for Apple? Finally, someone could tell them what the lickable buttons actually taste like!

          • Consider this: In just one day, what is there to remember? There are people, conversations, feelings, environments, thoughts, countless objects. We don't necessarily remember all of it, but we remember quite a bit. Also consider some exceptional cases of people who can remember everything that they read (and read extremely quickly). There was a video about such a person on YouTube, but I can't seem to find it. He not only read at an incredible rate, but also could do calculations extremely quickly and reproduce entire landscapes. His brain has yet to get "full.' In addition, any autistic people have been shown to factor large primes extremely quickly.

            I'm just an amateur but here's a thought I had. When we hear about these idiot savants we're quite impressed. I think I saw the guy you're talking about on Youtube, he takes a helicopter tour of a city and reproduces the entire skyline in photographic detail with a pencil on a big sheet of paper. My question is, is he tapping into an unused portion of the brain or is that portion unused because of his disability and the brain just happened to wire it up in the way he's currently using it? In other words, j

            • My question is, is he tapping into an unused portion of the brain or is that portion unused because of his disability and the brain just happened to wire it up in the way he's currently using it?

              The latter. It's a proven fact in science that most of the "super abilities" in mentally impaired people are directly related to their other mental problem.

              For example we read earlier that it's critical for normal human beings to be able to drop neuron connections and make new ones which match their current requirem

              • wouldn't be surprised if the specific abilities of people with mental disabilities spawn new industries in the decades to come. It has already happened with computer industry (a very large number of the top programmers in the industry have the asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, also responsible for their social awkwardness).
                Mentats! Not to replace computers but to talk to them. Thank God Mountain Dew doesn't stain the lips red.
      • I don't think I've ever seen anything beyond a guess at what that storage capacity might be, other than "really huge". But the danger isn't in hitting capacity, it's in exceeding the erase-write cycles limitations.
  • performs calculations for me and other such function. Sort of a floating point coprocessor for the human mind - our brains are certainly weak in some areas where we have to rely on tools such as calculators/computers to get by - maybe the next step is attaching them directly.

    Sometimes I wonder if, without outside help, we are going to reach a plateau of scientific development because of our limited minds and the amount of time education takes these days (personally I think the amount learned in a 12 year p
    • It's called "a pencil". You use it with that other amazingly technolgy called "paper".

      OK, OK, if you want the upgrade vresion, get an abacus.
      • Yeah, you know that, in theory, all computer languages are Turing Complete.

        Still doesn't mean that I want to program in assembly rather than some higher level language.
        • No, they're not all Turing complete, even in theory. Many limited use languages, often suitable for microcomputer use or old expensive computer hardware designs, had built-in limits on digit size and available memory use. Any such built-in limit means it's not Turing complete.

          Many are, but don't be misled by the higher level programming levels so many of use on a daily basis, which are at least theoretically Turing complete.
      • Great. Now use that pencil and paper to find cos(3pi/5).
        • OK.

          "cos(3pi/5)"

          See? All neatly written out nad everything!

          Now, if you want to do trig functions, I call the right to do them the way a typical computer program does, by keeping a lookup table around and using that to get the nearest answer, then rounding.

  • got one (Score:3, Funny)

    by Tablizer (95088) on Saturday July 28 2007, @12:48AM (#20020611) Homepage Journal
    I just installed a Troll Chip, and it's working great! I've never fealt better or smarter. Oh, and by the way, both emacs and vi suck eggs to high hell, and C# is better than Java.
  • instant porn in the middle of boring meetings. Brilliant!
  • "huh, what?" "elecronics in brains.... hmmmm" (prys eyes away from TV)

    "Does it think for me?"

    "no."

    Eyes revert to TV showing cars with hard drives [technoride.com]. ... the typical American response

  • Yes! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Umbral Blot (737704) on Saturday July 28 2007, @01:07AM (#20020693) Homepage
    Now I can stop moving altogether and type only with my mind, thus completely leaving the animal kingdom.

  • When Do We Get Brain Internet... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by LowlyWorm (966676) on Saturday July 28 2007, @01:14AM (#20020729) Homepage
    ... And then brain spam. Must buy more viagra...Must buy more viagra...
  • Read about a brain implant that has already been tested in humans: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=182802 &p=irol-newsArticle_print&ID=1026764&highlight= [corporate-ir.net]
  • George Bush wants to fund this brain chip research to show how pro-medical research he is. He has high hopes that these brain chips will be able to cure 70% of the American public.

    -
  • Inserting such an object into someones brain I believe should only be done in extreme cases. I don't see why this can't be done with some embedded computing in a cap or hat with electrodes and a bio-feedback mechanism. Headphones with binaural beats and eyeglasses running alphawave patterns. Surely this neat device could prevent the need to insert a chip in many cases. Bio-feedback EEG is already being used for Epilepsy at www.adhd.com.au and there has been an open source eeg for years at http://openeeg [sf.net]

  • Upgrades (Score:4, Funny)

    by EnsilZah (575600) <(EnsilZah) (at) (Gmail.com)> on Saturday July 28 2007, @04:13AM (#20021381) Homepage
    Must be a bitch when you come in for a next-gen upgrade and it uses a different socket. =/
  • I hope they won't run Windows. If so, the Blue Screen of Death would get recognised as a medical condition and official cause of physical death.
  • I would give an arm and a leg, if they created such implant treating Bipolar Disorder. Living with pharmacology-resistant Bipolar II is PITA.

    Robert
  • My father-in-law had something similar installed in him this past year. He has Parkinson's disease [wikipedia.org] and had a mini computer installed in his abdomen with some strategically placed wires that are tucked under his skin and connect to specific areas of his brain. The implant is wireless and so it can be reprogrammed and fine tuned without surgery. The dosage of his medicine was getting so high that it was affecting his heart and pulmonary system in some very negative ways. So far the implant has given him much
  • Honestly, it seems for a quarter century now I've been reading that all the blind people in the work will be seeing with implanted photo-receptors "in just a few years". Stories about brain/digital interfaces have just become annoying to me.

  • Neurotech (Score:3, Interesting)

    by the_kanzure (1100087) on Saturday July 28 2007, @10:32AM (#20023391) Homepage
    Haha- so this is the sort of article that I miss when I sleep? Anyway, I have collected some links that somebody might find useful to go start some more research. Maybe setup a basement lab or something.

    -- General
    * Irazoqui's neurotransceiver [purdue.edu] [pdf] [2003] The problem with Irazoqui's device is that it is maybe 1% power efficient, so maybe some electronicists can come around and make some suggestions to improve the coil design and so on. He did his testing on rats, not humans.
    * Direct brain interface bibliography [umich.edu] from the University of Michigan
    * Gleamed from an article below: wireless visual cortex implant publications [polymtl.ca]
    -- EEG
    * Controlling computers with EEG signals [hmc.edu]
    * EEG via soundcard [sourceforge.net] from OpenEEG [sourceforge.net]
    * Wireless EEG [cornell.edu]
    -- Slashdot goodness
    * Scientists couple nerve tissue with semiconductors [slashdot.org]
    * Post re: neurosilicon junction with PDF [slashdot.org]
    * Thinkware [slashdot.org]
    * Good post w/ links on neurocomputation [slashdot.org]
    * Brain slice experiments [slashdot.org]
    * Neuroscientists at MIT doing direct neural interfaces [slashdot.org]- but this post sets things into perpsective [slashdot.org] as well as this one [slashdot.org]
    * Single neuron recordings w/ ref [slashdot.org]
    * Sorry to dash your hopes, but ... [slashdot.org]
    * Autonomously adjusting electrodes? [slashdot.org] and more [slashdot.org]
    * Artificial hippocampus [slashdot.org] and stimulating neuron growth / neurogenesis ... with Prozac? [slashdot.org]
    * Implant a chip inside your head [slashdot.org]- though it does not discuss the specific surgery skills you would need
    * Working nerve chip of silicon and snail neurons [slashdot.org]
    * Re: Kevin Warwick [slashdot.org]- interview [slashdot.org]- the so-called "Captain Cyborg" since '98 or something
    * BrainPort [slashdot.org]
    * Fusing neurons with computers [slashdot.org]
    -- More
    * Artificial vision [howstuffworks.com]
    * The vision quest [wired.com]
    *
  • I for one welcome our new brain chip overlords
    • My workmate with the insulin pump already is. So is my friend with the cochlear implant, and that's a neural implant tied to his brain stem. (Weird case, they apparently couldn't use his inner ear, so they connected it to his brain. It works!)

    • We don't need no thought control.

      Seriously, today it'll be a cure for epilepsy, tomorrow it'll be a cure for individuality. /me puts his tinfoil hat back on

      Tinfoil hat won't help against anything programmed into the chip once it's implanted. Course, it MIGHT help keep that chip from getting hacked by the l337 5cr1p7 k1dd13zz.

      Don't count on it, though...

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