I have been asked to attend a conference organised in Cambridge,UK this June. Therefore, I read the abstract of the conference paper since my supervisor has been telling me that the conference is worth to attend. It is a conference related to cybernatics technologies and its future trends.


Caption: controlling the brain with computer chip

Some experts from the Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems in Chicago have pronounced the latest technology to emerge human brain into a desktop computer (interacting brain with computer). According to them, their goal is to supply human with new technologies to allow them to perform daily activities such as surfing the web, composing emails, and perhaps watching movies and playing computer games without the need of moving our motor limbs (need not move our muscle.


Caption: consuming brain power to control electronic


Caption: the interaction of human brain and the computer


Caption: mental cells and reflexes controlling robotic arms for a cup of coffee

They have performed this latest technology with one participant, as a part of their experiment. By using his brain cells and body reflexes, that person would be able to control the mouse cursor to play simple computer games. Other examples would be the control of robotic arms with his brain (without hand movements) to drink a cup of coffee.


Caption: experiments on the research

However, this technology would require slight operation, that is to operate a person's brain (drilling a small hole) to insert a computer chip on the surface of his brain. This chip will have the capability to take control of a person's limb, such as their arms and hand. According to their research, the chip itself is as small as the size of a round-shape pill (similar to the size of those suppliment pills that we consume everyday). It contained at least 100 electrode sensors, and every sensor is thinner than a human hair. These sensors would help to detect tiny electrical signals generated what a user imagines in their brain (i.e. think of moving the mouse cursor, and the cursor will move in the computer). I assume the position of the microchip should be placed in the central executive of our brain (central executive is in the middle section of the brain where the 10% of that executive system would take control of every psychophysics measurements - i.e. physical stimuli and other psychological effects).


Caption: the actual size of the microchip to be placed into our brain

Any necessary operation for this research is safe since it will not damage any portion of the spinal cord and brain cells in our body. I think this research is extremely beneficial especially to assist paralysed patients who were pronounced as half-dead lying on the bed so they could utilise their brain to communicate with other people through a computer. For example, a half-dead person lying on the bed in the hospital would able to communicate with their family members as long as that person's brain is not dead (to be specific, the brain cells in the central executive is not dead since brain cells contained in a person's central executive will not regenerate if damaged). Additional aim of this research is to help people handicapped people (i.e. those who have lost some part of their body) to control robotic arms and legs.


Caption: an incomplete sleeping machine (prototype model)

Other relevant research which applies this concept but in a different approach is the SLEEP project (I think this is the actual name of the research, not sure). I have read this article in year 2007, saying that human would be able to work while sleeping. The abstract of the research did specified the beneficial of sleep since sleep provide recovery to cells in our body that may result in the reduction of mental stress (or constrain) and thus minimising stress issues at workplace is of importance. So what this machine can do is to allow staffs to sleep on it, placing wires into our head to detect and localise electrical activities of the central nervous system in our brain. The process is similar to the EEG (electroencephalography) and MEG (magnetoencephalography) scan except these 2 scans utilises electrodes and biomagnetometers to measure sensory-motor (also known as cognitive functions, i.e. brain processes) of the brain. This 'sleep-machine' manipulate the electrodes, aiming directly at utilising human brain cells to work. This project share similar approach to the Cyberkinetics research specified in the above. So, imagine, sleep and work at the same time. People, you may stop complaining about workload and stresses at workplace in the future.


Caption: electrical contact with human brain

The next research is, probably a more advance technology compared to the two research specified in the above. This research focuses more on human-computer technologies to develop a cyborg-human. Utilising similar approach, except this research aimed at controlling a person with the power of computer. This research has one whole journal paper. So, I only flipped through to understand what the research concerns.


Caption: a fake image of a cyborg

The abstract of the research has written that this professor in Reading, England has implemented wire and computer chip into his nervous system (by operating his brain) to make him half-human-half-computer and as a result, turning himself into a cyborg. He implemented a silicon chip to communicate with his brain in the Cybernetics Department at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and views himself as a futurist. Surgeons connect a chip to his nervous system through nerve fibres in his left arm and the chip exchange signals between his brain and the computer.

The chip is special, and consist of a battery, radio transmitter, receiver and processing unit whilst the pins in the chip will pierce the membrane surrounding his nerve fibers. When he moves a body part, the signal will be sent to the computer. The computer will replicate his movement and send the information back to his brain.


Caption: the process to turn a person to a cyborg

This professor suggest that he only believe his wife. When the silicon chip is implemented into his brain, he only allow his wife to control his body with the computer. Okay, I will just specify very briefly over here. When his wife turned on the program, the information will be connected between his brain and his computer. His wife would be able to control him like a remote control machine. When his wife hit on the up-cursorkey on the keyboard, he will start to stand up. If she hit on the left-cursorkey, he will start walking very slowly to the left. Amazing isn't it? This research gives me a feeling of that the future, all human would turn themselves to 'terminator' like cyborgs lol. This research is definitely beneficial to science in the future (although scientists do not know the exact objective of the research).