Neural "Extension Cord" Developed

moon_monkey writes "Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a 'neural extension cord' by growing neurons attached to a microchip. The cord is made by gradually moving two batches of neurons apart, as they naturally grow towards one another. This biological 'data cable' could then interface with the brain once implanted, the researchers say." From the article: "...in the long run, it may not be necessary to interface directly with nerves at all. 'In Europe most researchers in this field are using non-invasive EEG,' [an outside researcher] explains... 'The signals are weaker so more complex processing is needed, but not having to perform surgery on the nervous system has many advantages,' [he] says."

Re:Interesting but...

[kalleguld]

Not if it runs Linux.

Re:Interesting but...

[mastershake_phd]

Is it compatible with Windows Vista's DRM requirements?

And is keeping a copy of portions of copyrighted material in your brain legal? I know mine is full of Simpsons material.

Re:Understatement of the year

[Divide By Zero]

Frag that, chummer. I want my datajack, and I don't care how.

Re:Implications

[ClassMyAss]

What would be fascinating is if we were to discover interfaces that allow contents of memory or other brain contents to be read in this way.

This would be incredibly tricky, as there is no data format to speak of that the brain uses - program and data are all bound together in one messy lump. The parallel is actually very close to that of neural networks in CS: suppose you trained a network to implement some complicated function that had some parameters hard coded into it, like (for instance) to generate a sine wave at a few particular frequencies within some range of input. How would you go about reading those parameters from the weight structure? Your only option is really to look at and interpret the output, since the network has not necessarily encapsulated away the sine function and stored the parameters separately (though it might have). Such is the problem with the brain, at least barring some incredible discovery in neuroscience that shows us that the brain does have a central data repository. Alas, to my understanding, the data storage literally happens along the very connections that perform the data processing, so I doubt that this is feasible.

However, this is still a very interesting development, as neurons have proven to be quite adaptable, so one could (in theory) learn to recieve or transmit a data feed to an off-site storage location. What I see as more plausible is that one could in theory wean his/herself off of brain-based permanent memory and attempt to rely more and more on the external data feed. This is not as clean as a hard copy of the brain, but provided that the data path was sufficiently wide and the person was trained exceptionally well, could be a decent approximation, especially if you got skilled enough to subconsciously feed records of your thoughts and perceptions into your "backup." But I don't think it will be easy!

Gotta wonder who's going to weasel the patent system into blocking further inquiry on this one, though!

Re:Implications

[David_Shultz]

You're reading into this technology much more than you should be -there's nothing there to even suggest that we can interface meaningfully with these new chips at all, let alone consciously using them as storage devices.

If you're looking for something that will maintain information about yourself after your death, it's called a book and it's been around for awhile. Write a diary or a biography if you feel so inclined.

I worry about the Ghost in the Shell.

[WarlockD]

One of the things I like about the TV series is the depth and the questions they pose about the issues with this technology.

Better question is if it can be stopped. The thing is that when you watch that series, you wonder about the safety rating of this technology. The first Window 95 computers were open to the world, internet wise, so will it be the same for the first 'cyber brain' installs? Will there be a point where you MUST have a retina mechanical replacement or atleast an optic nerve pass though just to read a book? Better yet, what about education? If all your books are DRM encrypted that is mandated to be bought from a school virtual book shop, used books, hell, books could just disappear. We talk about a lack of critical thinking NOW....

Heck, it even creates the ultimate lower class. Those who not only can't afford to eat, but due to the lack of implants, even achieve a decent job. I mean, it becomes a decision to have your entire body mechanically replaced for a 5 year mining contract or living at the lowest end of the spectrum.

Maybe I am over thinking this, but its psodo-mandatory that you have a state ID, why would some kind of implant.

Re:I worry about the Ghost in the Shell.

[Chandon Seldon]

There's a tradeoff between "planning ahead" and "planning ahead so far that your plans have no chance of applying to the reality". You're risking the latter. An increase in understanding how our body works and how to interface with it / repair it is a good thing. Let's wait until we actually have prototype cybernetic implants working before we worry about the government making them mandatory.

People are too infatuated with the Frankenstein myth, the absurd belief that research is innately dangerous. Research is *essential*, and not something that we should be stopping just because someone can come up with some unlikely scenario in which new technology could cause problems.