Assistant in the brain. Implants will change our lives in the future
Technologies / / December 19, 2019
What would you give for the chance to see in the dark? Or a chip in my head, which is the first team can provide any information to read before? Or the same chip, but with the possibility of accessing the Internet to view the page "Wikipedia" right in the head?
The introduction of neural prostheses to the brain is engaged in the discipline Neuro. The first neural prosthesis was created in 1957, it was intended for people who have lost their hearing. The prosthesis is called "cochlear implant" (lat. cochlea - the snail). It is necessary for people who have hearing loss caused by damage to the structures of the cochlea - the auditory portion of the inner ear or the auditory analyzer.
The method consists in the fact that the body is installed the device, which can convert sound pulses sensed by external microphone into signals understandable nervous system. Over time, as the patient adapts to the implant, he has the opportunity to hear.
After creating a cochlear implant Neuro has made a huge leap forward. And what is now engaged in science, really looks like a science fiction.
bionic body parts
The creation of artificial parts of the body, which can be controlled by the brain as actual - one of the tasks of Neuro. Significant progress achieved in this, scientists from Johns Hopkins University. They managed to create two prosthesis for Bach Forest (Les Baugh), which was amputated both hands.
Bach lost his arms due to the strong impact, so scholars problem does not reduce the current 40 years ago, only to to create the prosthesis. First of all it was necessary to wake up the nerve endings in the body, because in 40 years of inactivity, they lost the ability to read and transmit signals.
The prototype, which was put on by Bach, as follows.
Under the jacket is a corset to which are attached sensors. They read signals from the nerve endings, translating them into patterns that can understand the prosthesis.
Starting to use prostheses, Bach surprised even its creators. He was not only able to manage, but also to combine gestures with both hands simultaneously. In the words of Bach's "dentures opened his door to a new world." With their help, he can, for example, pick up and move objects.
Nevertheless, dentures are far from ideal. Movement reproduced successively in each "joint." That is, to move the brush, Bach first need to set in motion the shoulder joint, the elbow then and only then wrist. However, one of the project engineers Michael McLaughlin (Michael McLoughlin) does not consider this a big problem:
We are just beginning. Think of the Internet in its early days. The next 10 years will be phenomenal.
Observation of neurons
One of the most exciting parts of the Neuro - improving brain health. And this is the greatest results achieved scientists Neyrotehnologicheskogo Center at Columbia University. They managed to be implanted in the mouse brain thread dotted with microscopic electronic devices. With their help, they were able to monitor and stimulate individual neurons of the brain.
Now the main goal of the project - how to better understand the brain of mammals can. Scientists still can not understand how the activity of individual neurons gives rise to emotions and feelings. The human brain contains 86 billion neurons. mouse brain - a thousand times smaller, and it's still a fantastic amount of unknown information.
Surprisingly, neurons perceive foreign object friendly. Within five weeks, who were watching the brain of the mouse, there was no evidence of rejection.
The next stage - to introduce filaments network containing new sensors. We also want to investigate the brains of mice in their daily lives and work on remote transmission of information from neuron.
The first experiments on the human brain, the team has not yet conceived. The project will be tested for at least several years, and only then, after dozens of successful attempts, it can be tested in humans. If the project is yet to be successful, man-made objects that are associated with neurons, open endless possibilities: from the brain to reach earlier studies level and to stimulate the brain function by means of electrical pulses.
What if hacked?
My name Bakare bytes, and I nephew Nigerian prince. My uncle died and left me $ 2 million. Unfortunately, I'm in another country and I have no money for a ticket. Please send the money for the ticket, and we split the money.
If spam filters mail client works well, you rarely get such messages. If bad, then more often. Even worse, if you believe in such a story, and once the money was transferred.
However, spam e-mail clients, social networks or SMS - is not terrible. But is it possible that in the future, when a brain implant will become as commonplace as a smartphone, we'll get spam in the brain?
Alas, it is inevitable.
At least so say experts. For example, a technologist publication The Intercept Mike Lee (Micah Lee):
It seems to me that the human civilization is hundreds of years from the point at which it will be able to create software without critical errors. If at all possible.
With Mike's hard not to agree. Did you manage to name at least one program or application that does not have a single bug? Unlikely. The problem is that a potential brain implant - this is the same device as a modern smartphone or computer. Of course, much more perfect. But the point is that he also has a soft shell, which he controlled. And this shell will have bugs and vulnerabilities.
The two largest software companies Google and Apple still correct new and emerging vulnerabilities. They are like a hydra: against the background of a bug corrected two appear in the future.
Possible solution - to limit the external implant interaction. That is, he will be able to perform certain functions, but will not have an Internet connection or the outside world.
However, what if you need to update the software on the implant? Or to correct the error? You still have to give access to your brain to another person. This problem has no solution.
Future
The appearance of cerebral implants - it is only a matter of time. As soon as a stable technology, leading companies will issue their decision. And most importantly, you will want to buy them.
One of the reasons that it is not known the exact time of occurrence of such an implant - a material. Till the best optionWhich can be released - a graphene, carbon modification of one atom thick. It has good electrical conductivity, and since it is made of organic material, the probability is high biocompatibility.
But despite the fact that scientists investigate the biocompatibility of graphene now, the future with implants in mind we are still separated by decades. Is this good or bad?