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Author Topic: Holy Guacamole Batman!
thexmedic
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Here's a crazy story from the NY Times (need to register to read - but it's free...)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/science/13brain.html?_r=1&--


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pooka
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quote:

Mr. Nagle would then imagine moving his arm to hit various targets. The implanted sensor eavesdropped on the electrical signals emitted by neurons in his motor cortex as they controlled the imaginary arm movement.


Cool, the paralyzed man could operate a mouse cursor. But:

quote:
Implants like the one he received had previously worked in monkeys. There have also been some tests of a simpler sensor implant in people, as well as systems using electrodes outside the scalp.

Suddenly animal testing of new technologies doesn't seem like such a great idea. The idea of remote sensors is also a little creepy.

[This message has been edited by pooka (edited July 13, 2006).]


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trousercuit
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Creepy in a "oh, that poor monkey" way or a "hey, a monkey shouldn't be controlling an industrial--ARGH!" way?
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Kadri
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Dude. The guy can play pong with his miiiind...
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pantros
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If it would give me the ability to type without typing or speaking, you could park a volkswagon in my brain.

"Dragon Naturally Thinking" only takes 2 months to train to 65% accuracy!


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Beth
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I hope it's "hey, a monkey shouldn't be controlling an industrial--ARGH!"


So Dragon Naturally Thinking is an imaginary product? I'm only familiar with their speech-recognition tools (which were way more than 65% accurate right out of the box, for me).


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Survivor
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This stuff is pretty old hat by now, though. I think it was old hat a couple of years ago, even.
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Louiseoneal
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[In addition, the implant would ideally transmit signals wirelessly out of the brain, doing away with the permanent hole in the head and the accompanying risk of infection.]


Wireless for the win.


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Jeraliey
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My dad did a lot of work for that project.

::Proud grin::


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pooka
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Definitely the "ARGH" reading. Fortunately, the monkeys always go for the blue pill.

My husband got this book called "Drawing on the powers of Heaven" from a guy at church where it mentions the possibility that our thoughts are being recorded through some means that hasn't been invented yet. :jibblies:

It would be easy enough to record thoughts; playing them back is a horse of a different color. Except in that one story I was looking at writing with the time contraction.


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