cyborgs among us

[plazul]

I was reading about recent advances in prosthetics and came across a story about a man who has an artficial arm controlled by a chip in his brain. He literally learned to will his artificial arm to move and became so comfortable with it he tore off his prosthetic hand trying to start his lawnmower. The ground breaking surgery is a medical milestone, to say the least, and can only be successful if the injury is recent and the victim still feels a "phantom limb." The experience of phantom pain from a severed limb stems from neural pathways that are still fresh and therefore available for reconnection to artificial impulses from a brain implant.

So the Six Million Dollar Man has apparently arrived and the implications are obvious. In addition to being a boon to amputees the new technology might also have military applications or even elective surgery applications for the wealthy.

But chip enhancement of brain function may give way to stem cell enhancement and organic computing technology in which the brain is organically improved to achieve computer like memory capacity and speed for multi-tasking. Nano technology also promises to produce nano neural surgery in which artificial neurons will be inserted into disfunctional brain tissue.

In short, we may be witnessing the evolution of our species but the danger is that, just like natural evolution, it could be a selective process.

[Warsai]

Selective process as in the Matrix's and I, Robot's ideas of wars between man and machine.

[plazul]

Originally Posted by Warsai

Selective process as in the Matrix's and I, Robot's ideas of wars between man and machine.

I've heard a lot about the Matrix but haven't seen it. It's frightening to think that we might be moving towards two classes of people. Super smart and super strong people vs the intellectually and physically weak.

[illuminati]

Originally Posted by plazul

I was reading about recent advances in prosthetics and came across a story about a man who has an artficial arm controlled by a chip in his brain. He literally learned to will his artificial arm to move and became so comfortable with it he tore off his prosthetic hand trying to start his lawnmower. The ground breaking surgery is a medical milestone, to say the least, and can only be successful if the injury is recent and the victim still feels a "phantom limb." The experience of phantom pain from a severed limb stems from neural pathways that are still fresh and therefore available for reconnection to artificial impulses from a brain implant.

So the Six Million Dollar Man has apparently arrived and the implications are obvious. In addition to being a boon to amputees the new technology might also have military applications or even elective surgery applications for the wealthy.

But chip enhancement of brain function may give way to stem cell enhancement and organic computing technology in which the brain is organically improved to achieve computer like memory capacity and speed for multi-tasking. Nano technology also promises to produce nano neural surgery in which artificial neurons will be inserted into disfunctional brain tissue.

In short, we may be witnessing the evolution of our species but the danger is that, just like natural evolution, it could be a selective process.

I find these new medical advances absolutely fascinating.

Artificial limbs? Good thing.
Brain enhancement? First I've heard of this. It makes sense though.

Exciting and scary at the same time.

[Warsai]

Yes, it is frightening. Should we stop progressing in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, or should we continue on, with the fear of creating our future annihalators(sp?)?

[plazul]

I think organic computing is the wave of the future. Chemical brains that can think and grow beyond what we can imagine. I've heard that the Central Security Service has Argon gas computers but I haven't a clue how they work. Laser pathways and gas? I don't know. The post about teleporting photons may be up this alley.


Organic computing and stem cell engineering might be combined to super enhance brain functioning but who will get the procedure and would we be creating a class of people who would be intellectual gods? Are they already here? (Twight Zone theme)