| Guest writer Margaret Jules describes how brain-machine interfaces are increasingly being used to overcome handicaps. In the future, these technologies will not only help us when injury or disease strike, but may potentially improve our performance and make us super-cyborgs. |
or a long time, machines have been utilized to complement human attributes. This convergence has been portrayed in popular movies including Brainstorm, The Terminator and The Matrix. The subject is far reaching than just soothing eyes and has wide implications for human civilization.
Implementing machines to complement human beings in diverse respects has been a debatable topic for decades, although machines are progressively finding practical applicability in multiple fields.
Real life interpretation of man and machine
Although machines are more than often considered below par due to their lack of human intelligence, practical solutions in the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology, genetic engineering and digital technology have been implemented. Machines are progressing beyond bionic body parts; scientists are considering techniques to hone libraries of genetic information.
BANG – Bits, Atoms, Neurons and Genes – is the keyword today. The convergence of technologies continues to make the boundary between machine and man less apparent. The ambiguity also gets elevated owing to the proximity with real life instances. Today, machines exhibit themselves through vivid forms (like surgical implants) making life easier and simpler for thousands of people across the world.
BANG – Bits, Atoms, Neurons and Genes – is the keyword today. The convergence of technologies continues to make the boundary between machine and man less apparent. The ambiguity also gets elevated owing to the proximity with real life instances. Today, machines exhibit themselves through vivid forms (like surgical implants) making life easier and simpler for thousands of people across the world.
There are multiple instances of human interaction with machine converting to productive purposes. Cochlear implants, prosthetic limbs and brain pacemakers are to name some of the popular implementations.
Practical viability of machine
With machines entering our lifestyle in several forms and potentially augmenting human performance, there is obvious motivation for many people worldwide to continue the trend. For instance paralysed people have recently been able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space using robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity using the BrainGate neural interface system. This work was initially pioneered with the help of Matt Nagle, an American football fan who was paralysed in a stabbing incident. Where Nagle could speak with the help of a ventilator, play games (like Tetris) and change TV channels, Cathy Hutchinson can now steer a robotic arm towards a bottle, pick it up, and drink her morning coffee. The interface includes a sensor implanted in Cathy's brain, which 'reads' her thoughts, and a decoder, which turns her thoughts into instructions for the robotic arm.
The brain-computer interface seems a promising remedy for paralysis. The technology also finds feasibility for military in ‘creating’ capable soldiers who can remotely control machines. DARPA's Avatar program is an example of this development progressing. The ‘robo-grunts’ also find practical implementation in Air Force as an alternative control technology. The idea is to facilitate pilots with hands-free flying experience.
Cyber kinetics aims at exploring the potential of technology through machines for its patients. It is particularly inclined towards testing machine for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS patients gradually lose their motor skills (including communication). However, the results are not completely encouraging and the technology can be a leap into the unknown.
Biocomputing is another area where researchers are trying the machine skills. Silicon chips, cathode-ray monitors and similar elements are subject matters which are being explored for better usability and practical implementations. An idea comes from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena pointing to biomolecular computation. There is another idea of building a library of biological components for synthetic outcomes. The scope for DNA, as the ultimate storage medium on earth, is also being explored. The inert DNA is being interpreted by multiple laboratories for favorable outcomes.
The brain-computer interface is an engaging subject for hundreds of researchers worldwide. Encouraging contributions are expected from many institutes like Duke University, Graz University of Technology (Austria) and New York’s Wadsworth Center in Albany. It is expected that the manner in which human and computers interact undergoes a favorable change, although there is time before a conclusion is arrived at.
| By Margaret Jules | Subscribe to 33rd Square |
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