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Hardware Science

Implant a Chip in Your Head 204

Posted by CmdrTaco from the what-about-brain-popup-ads dept.
vic_1066 writes "Brain chips sound pretty Orwellian, but the tech has come a long way (Soul eating registration required) in the past few years. Not that I'll be signing up anytime soon to get my head sliced open just for kicks, but if I was massively paralyzed this would be welcome news. If you get a chance, check out Cyberkinetics Inc."
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Implant a Chip in Your Head More

Implant a Chip in Your Head

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  • Mnemonic? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Orgazmus ( 761208 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:49AM (#8847308)
    Is it possible to do some mnemonic shit with this tech?
    I would really like to regain some of my toked away memory ;)
  • do you have options for "enhancement" different modules and what not.. sounds a bit like Deus Ex
    • Night- and heatvision would be sweet?
      Just remember to turn it off when you`re on acid ;)
    • I hope my brain can finally play imported and backed up games.
      • Only if you also install that mod chip which disables DRM. It's a good idea anyway, since it also allows you to remember details of that song you heared yesterday, as well as if you really liked it. Now if I only could remember where you could get that chip ... and what it was for ... ah, yes, got it again, it's the new Trusted Thinking chip which protects your brain from spam and other evil information, and you can get it directly from ... what do you mean, you're not interested in that? Didn't you just as

  • What about using this for video game play? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Phoenix-kun ( 458418 ) * on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:50AM (#8847337) Homepage
    I have a friend who was in a near fatal auto accident several months ago (not her fault, btw). She is now paralyzed from the chest down and has only limited control of her hands. Before the accident, she was one of the best competitive video game players that I've ever had the pleasure to know. Now, almost 6 months after the accident, she can play turn-based games OK, but does not have the fine control for the fast action FP type games. It would be so wonderful if something like this could give that ability back to her.

  • Already have one, we all do. (Score:5, Funny)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:50AM (#8847339) Homepage Journal

    Implant a Chip in Your Head

    Does it act as a co-processor to the one the government puts in our heads at birth?

    Don't laugh!: Using your index and middle finger feel your skull at the base where your spinal column meets your skull. Notice that little bump? Now with your middle finger pressed firmly on the bump rub it with your index finger across the bottom near your top vertebra.

    Feel that hard thing move? Of course not, but I'll bet there are hundreds of geeks like you pressing two fingers against their skull at this very moment. :)

  • Me neither (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:51AM (#8847348)
    but the tech has come a long way (Soul eating registration required) in the past few years. Not that I'll be signing up anytime soon

    That's right, it's just disgraceful. I'll never ever sign up to get NY Time account...

  • Sadly... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by baudilus ( 665036 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:51AM (#8847351)
    People that accept these will likely believe it will turn them into Jake 2.0 [upn.com]. Sadly, it's more likely to turn them into human RFID tags [com.com].

  • External memory would be nice. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Jin Wicked ( 317953 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:52AM (#8847356) Homepage Journal

    So far I rely on pen and paper to remember everything... I mean seriously, I have a lot of trauma in my past and the way my brain dealt with it was to just become so forgetful that I can barely remember what I did the week before.

    I'd really like some safe, secure way to "back my brain up" as it were, besides filling albums with photos to job my memory.

    • Not going to happen. Or at least if it is, it isn't going to happen for a long, long time: nobody even has a reliable model of how memories are stored in the brain on the neuron levels, let alone any way to pull that information out in a way that allows it to be interpreted or reproduced.

      To make it worse, this tech is the same as trying to look at a monitor through a sheet of paper you get a few patterns of light, enought to react on if the screen changes colour, but there's no detail.
    • I recently had a long discussion on this very topic. The eventual conclusion was that if we can backup the brain, then we should be able to restore it also. So, we will almost be able to treat life like a video game, with save-points, especially if our robot bodies come soon.

      Scenario>>
      ME: Hmm, I wonder what it feels like to jump off of a cliff.

      Paramedics arrive at the scene of the gruesome death.

      Medic1: Oy, that's one mangled robot carcass.
      Medic2: What's that clutched in his strong, metal robot ha

  • Chips and trips (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Hekatchu ( 684465 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:53AM (#8847379)
    There's nothing new there, but, it's just so surprising that there's so little the world can offer to SciFi litterature, but so much SciFi can offer to reality.
  • Not sure if this was the same thing, but I read a little while ago about a tiny device implanted into the brain (and maybe afflicted organs/appendages?) that could mimic nerve impulses and possibly be used to cure (or at least treat) spinal injuries and neurological diseases like Parkinsons. Anyone know if this is that same thing?

  • "Turning Thought Into Action"

    That's the CyberKinetics catch-phrase.

    CyberKinetics, the company mentioned in the article, has implanted chips into monkeys that enable them to play video games using brain waves alone.

    Not only is this a miracle for paralyzed people, but I predict that brain waves will be able to control bionic arms and legs. It's only a matter of biofeedback learning and a chip capable of measuring ten or so distinct brainwave patterns.

  • the implantable V-chip (Score:3, Funny)

    by emtboy9 ( 99534 ) <jeff AT jefflane DOT org> on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:55AM (#8847404) Homepage
    Now you can implant your child with the new profanity sensing V-chip. Yes, you child can grow up happy, healty, and wholesome thanks to this new technology. The V-Chip is implanted directly into your childs brain and will emit a tiny negative reinforcement whenever your child attempts to utter an obscenity, disobey, or otherwise act like a child of his or her age.

    Also for adults, the Viagra-Chip, and for Politicians, the VAccountablility chip. Working with Pfiser, the Viagra-Chip, when implanted in the adult brain, will stimulate sexual desire and promote long term erections, overcoming such things as headaches, modesty, impotence and other debilitating male problems.

    The Politican version will emit a tiny negative reinforcement every time a politican attempts to lie to the public, or attempts to promote or approve of a policy in which he or she will do everything possible to avoid accountability.

    Coming soon, built in GPS, public registration numbers, ATM and bank account numbers, and even a full, updated copy of your credit history. Now all you need to do is wave a wand over your head to get instant loan approval!

    (The U.S. Governemt endorses the GPS/ID enabled V-Chip implant, but swears to God that they will not use it to track, monitor, or otherwise ride herd on any U.S. Citizen. They really mean it. The promise! Cross their hearts and hope to die.)

    • but there was a story about a surgeon wanting to test an orgasm-chip for women, searching test subjects.
      He make the basic discovery for that technique while accidently stimulation wrong parts of the spline of a women that had a punction....
  • I'd get one implanted, but it sort of defeats the purpose of wearing a tinfoil helmet.
    • I'd say it gives a whole new reason for the tinfoil hat. Keeps them from reading what's stored on your brain chip. Or reprogramming it. Or installing Windows on it.

  • Interface, Stephen Bury (Score:3, Informative)

    by denubis ( 105145 ) <brianNO@SPAMtechnicraft.com> on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:55AM (#8847418)
    Interface, by Stephen Bury (a pseudonym for Neal Stephenson) is a fun exploration of media manipulation coupled with this idea. It goes slightly over the top in assuming the resources mentioned, but in terms of showing what is possible, it's quite interesting.

    It's also a very fun read.

  • Brain Chips? (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by WhytTiger ( 595699 )
    Homer:MMM... CHIPS
  • Will this replace Diebold's e-voting machines ?

  • Brain implants are very useful! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @09:56AM (#8847428)
    I
    personally
    had my +
    HP
    8
    6
    *
    implanted
    EVAL
    "and I"
    feel
    just
    fine
    PRG
    STO A

  • Disfunction (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Maybe this will put viagra out of business. Oops, wrong head.
  • From the article: "You don't wake up and turn on your hand," Mr. Surgenor said.

    Later overheard in the Mos Eisley Cantina:
    Damn Luke! You need to get you some of that!

    -JT :)

  • spam (Score:3, Funny)

    by WormholeFiend ( 674934 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:00AM (#8847474)
    Until we've solved the problem of spam, I'm not getting any kind of hardware/software combination implanted anywhere in my body. (This includes penile implants. Yes, I'm talking to you Mr Spammer.)

  • Orwellian? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by meringuoid ( 568297 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:01AM (#8847483)
    ... Which of Orwell's works do we have in mind here? Down and Out in Paris and London, perhaps? Animal Farm? I can't remember brain chips anywhere in Orwell.

    Perhaps it was 1984? But as I remember it, the Party had never been able to develop a technique to discover what another human being was thinking. The inside of the human mind remained untouchable; it was the last sanctuary from their totalitarianism. Hence their reliance on propaganda and torture as cruder methods of mind control...

    • Orwellian, as in the future being a totalitarian state where our every action is monitored. Not, in this case, as referring to the works of Orwell.

    • I seem to remember something about a brain scanning machine in 1984 that was capable of detecting 'illegal' thoughts at a distance. There was a passage about "worrying about being woken up by the police because he was dreaming of sedition" somewhere near the beginning of the book.
      Mind you, its been years since I read it. (1984 to be exact, my how time flies.)
  • This reminds me of an old made-for-TV movie called "Knight 4000", based on the old, wonderful, TV series, Knight Rider.

    Some woman gets shot in the head, and for some completely random reason, they take a Microchip from the old "KITT" car, and put it in her head, and magically, she is all better.

    I just remember thinking how absurd that was, now only to see it actually happening.

  • Add that to your resume (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Nobody's Hero ( 552712 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:03AM (#8847499) Homepage
    My only real question in all of this is where is it headed?(mind the pun there) Are all of us tech geeks going to be required to be able to "jack" into the computer systems we administrate in the near future? Will programmers start designing software that allows us to see the layout of our network graphicly in our heads as we sit semi-concious in chairs? Maybe not, but it is a possibilty.

    My curiousity is when will this sort of thing become competitve enough that it will start to be asked for on job applications? When will it get to the point that it is no longer an option but a requirement in order to administer large networks?

    This sort of thing is straight out of movies, like Johny Mnemonic even from role playing games like Shadowrun.

    If this sort of thing comes to fruition would you have a chip installed in your head?

    I know I would.

    But I don't know many others that would comprimise their bodies for a career. Would you?
    • I think the day will come.

      It isn't soon enough for me though.

      Something I am worried about, is will Microsoft have anything to do with the coding?

      Imagine www.cert.org CN-0003221042011-1 Brainchip maker Screwloose has anounced a flaw in BCin() that allows malicious code to be injected into neurons. Which could lead to a denial of service or a remote admin compromise.

      Proof of Concept has been made public and "script kiddies" around the world have laughed at the antics they make the admins get up to.
      • Something I am worried about, is will Microsoft have anything to do with the coding?

        Exactly. I'd feel MUCH better knowing that that bastion of mental health, RMS, was involved in hacking my brain.

    • Re:Add that to your resume (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I would get a chip, in fact, I hope and pray I can get one before I die. I'm still quite young, so I might see the day.

      The killer application will, as always, be sex and games. Who wouldn't want to experience fully immersive games and "recreational" programs so real you'd have to build some sort of system into it distinguish it from "reality". And mimicing reality is only the beginning, it's the unreal possibilities I want to experience in full lucidity with all my senses.

      One problem is, would you dare be

    • Call me a purist ... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by CFTM ( 513264 )
      Alright so I'm a recovering Geek so maybe my opinions don't count (I used to spend 8-10 hours a day on a computer in some manifestation, now I just use the thing to write essays and listen to music ... at work I read slashdot because I have nothing else to do). I think that the idea of chip implentation holds some ostounding possibilities but I feel it's a Pandora's Box. Where do we stop? What if people decide to stop living their life in reality and choose to just plug in and have fantasies fed straight

  • Now I'm interested in one thing... (Score:5, Funny)

    by francium de neobie ( 590783 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:03AM (#8847505)
    How many GBs of porn can it store? >:D
  • article. good. (brain chip implant required)

  • Serious questions re IP & ubiquitous computing (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What happens when it isn't just simple chips that can be interfaced with simple nerves, but instead we're interfacing entire systems with major sensory I/O?

    If I'm able to translate and store information hot off my optic nerve, and translate and store vibrations picked up in my ear canal, could I be charged as a "Thief" or a "Pirate" for sampling a CD in a store or watching a movie in a theater, and "remembering" it with augmentation?

    Gargoyle Steve Mann [wikipedia.org] had some well-documented troubles in a similar vein -
  • I am waiting for the eyeball implant to go along with the brain chip. That way I can site at my desk, stare into space while surfing slashdot using blueberry wifi, and have it displayed at the back of my retina.
  • ... the stuff we see in the Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, and other assorted sci-fi stuff with people with brain-implants?

    Forget needing special glasses to view things, why not have the chip piggy-back onto your optical nerve? Digital overlaying, all the stats you can stick on your HUD, like the first couple of pages in Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface... sometimes it's useful being able to look at an object and automatically have a label pointing to it, identifying exactly what it is, what spee
  • Did anyone else go to that Cyberkinetics site and get a weird creepy feeling like you couldn't tell if it was a fake website used for viral marketing a sci-fi movie, or if it was real?

  • Bluetooth in your brain - psycho spam! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Jason Straight ( 58248 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:16AM (#8847624) Homepage
    Wait until people get bluetooth type radio chips in their head for the purpose of telepathy, then the spammers will be sending messages straight to your brain!

    The voices in my head told me to get a bigger penis!

  • Brings a new meaning (Score:3, Funny)

    by trailerparkcassanova ( 469342 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:30AM (#8847785)
    to the phrase "Having a chip on your shoulder".
  • ... but if I was massively paralyzed ...

    Am I the only one that thought of a beowolf cluster of quadriplegics? Parallelize the paralyzed!

    (Is this crass enough to be modded down? Let's see :)

  • Implants. Hmm. (Score:2, Funny)

    by troon ( 724114 )

    I know this is going to start a huge discussion of religion in general, but if I can save one person's soul, it's worth it.

    Read Revelation 13 and 14 [shorl.com]. Take your time - this is one of the most obscure bits of the Bible that is very hard to relate to real life.

    Note what happens at 13:16 - financial transactions are now dependent on some sort of mark (implant?) on the right hand or forehead.

    Skip forward to 14:9, and see what the third angel says. Anyone who takes the mark is out of reach of the salva

    • Re:Implants. Hmm. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Moraelin ( 679338 )
      Disclaimer: I'm not particularly religious, but I did make a point to read the bible. (And the Koran, and several others.)

      It seems to me like first of all, it clearly speaks of a mark, not of an implant deep inside your body. Second, what it speaks of there, is about accepting the rule of the antichrist and the social/economic structure that comes with it, not about merely getting a medical implant.

      As far as I know, so far noone's asking you to accept some particular government to get a simple medical imp

      • Hmm. (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Run4yourlives ( 716310 )

        Not to argue your entire post, but I would like to point out some things you said in the following paragraph, because I think that although you've read the Bible and are being (rightly) critical, you've missed the point of the verse.

        As far as I know, so far noone's asking you to accept some particular government to get a simple medical implant.

        Ah if life were that simple! You're right, nobody explicitly does such things, but implicitly, the consent is given. At the risk of ending this thread (!) nobod

        • Look, I'm not going to argue that the current capitalism has its flaws even if you don't get religious about it.

          And you could even argue about the credit card number or SSN as being the mark of the beast. I can see _some_ way in which you could say they symbolize accepting the religion of money. I'm not religious, but honestly, the current rush where all that matters is making a profit _this_ _quarter_, even if it means alienating your customers and burning your bridges... well, it can't be healthy and it
    • I find the "mark of the beast" thing highly unlikely. Fingerprints are compatible with the current paper-based communication, and are easily read, indexed, and searched by computer. I recently bought a car, and it would have been great if I could use UV ink to put fingerprints on documents instead of getting writers cramp initialing and signing things. When the docs are scanned, using UV light, the fingerprints can show up, and can't be faked.

      And, therefore, if the ramblings of a psychotic that, in your be
  • (Soul eating registration required)

    you started my day off with a laugh, I appreciate that.

    CBV
  • ... that in the blackops and/or despotic upper power and money levels in the world, that implantable chips that can control a lot of an individuals mind/emotions/physiological functions already exist beyond what "they" might admit to.

    There is some anecdotal supporting this out there that can be found with googling (mkultra, etc), but I have no direct knowledge of it, but given the normal track record of advanced designs and processes out there in those blackbudget areas,ie, "more advanced than you think",

  • Slight downside (and opportunity) (Score:3, Interesting)

    by borkus ( 179118 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:45AM (#8847934) Homepage
    If you think keeping a fresh ear lobe piercing clean is tough, imagine keeping a skull piercing clean.

    ...the signals from the chip are carried out of the body by wires coming through the skull. When the system is to be used, a cable will be connected to the wires. ... The opening in the skin is permanent and poses a risk of infection...

    Infections were rare and treatable, Dr. Mukand said, and the incidence should be even lower in people, who understand the risk...One uncertainty is whether the implants will move around over time or cause scarring. Either could lead to loss of the neuron signal.
    Of course, I wonder if someone is working on a socket to which bone and skin will graft. If you can get tissue to seal around the housing for the wires, it would make it even easier for people with the implant to live normally.

  • Trails in 2004! (Score:3, Funny)

    by virtigex ( 323685 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:50AM (#8848003)
    They hope to start trials in 2004 and you can sign up at sales@cyberkineticsinc.com. Unfortunately, the software runs only on Windows, so you would run the risk of your brain getting hacked.

  • The END is NEAR! (Score:1, Insightful)

    by xmorg ( 718633 )
    BEware! This is the sign of the beast! The end is near! BRING OUT YOUR DEAD! THE END IS NEAR!!!!

  • v-chip (Score:3, Funny)

    by bl8n8r ( 649187 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @10:54AM (#8848058)
    I know a dude named Cartman that they already did this to. it is completely safe, just don't cuss at fluffy kitty.

  • Soul eating registration required (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bgeer ( 543504 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @11:29AM (#8848534)
    If you are concerned about the NYT's registration then why did you cite their version of the story? You people do realize that NYT and TWP just base their science stories on press releases right? I assure you that there is not a single person at NYT who has a degree in neuroscience, and I doubt there are many more than a half-dozen who even have BSes.

    Why therefore do people submit science stories with a link to NYT when they could just link to the source material? This is the frigging internet. You can do just as much research as the press-release-editing typewriter monkey at NYT can.

    For instance, the facts in this story were reported six months ago [sciencedaily.com] on ScienceDaily [sciencedaily.com] , three months ago on Wired [wired.com] and dozens of other places that could be found in 20-30 seconds on googlage.

    In summary, if you don't like NYT's registration, don't link to it. You are advertising for them.
    </rant>

  • what does that require.. should I ask for the hammer to hit my spine above or below the neck?
  • "Every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction"

    A speaker can be used as a microphone. A microphone can be used as a speaker.

    Should add some interest to the thread eh?

  • Carpal tunnel be gone! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by herrlich_98 ( 267669 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @11:39AM (#8848674)
    How many words per minute could I type if I didn't actually have to move my fingers?

    To say nothing of having an imbeded PDA in my head reminding me of appointments I'm missing.

    What I *really* want is image recognition tied into my vision so I can instantly remember the name anyone I've ever seen before.

  • Welcome to the shadows, chummer (Score:4, Funny)

    by Unknown Kadath ( 685094 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @11:40AM (#8848696)
    Forget datajacks; I want cybereyes, a smartlink, bone lacing, and wired reflexes. I'll be the baddest street sam in Seattle. No, really. CP 2020 and Shadowrun are starting to look less and less like games.

    If the US Department of Defense incorporates and starts handing out business cards, or kids start getting born with pointy ears, I'm moving to New Zealand.

    -Carolyn
  • Wired 10.09: Vision Quest [wired.com]

    "A half century of artificial-sight research has succeeded. And now this blind man can see."
    The patient lost his sight to accidents. By inserting brain implants and connecting them to cameras he can 'see' well enough to drive again. The dataflow direction is reversed but the implementation is the same.

  • Time will tell (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Amtiskaw ( 591171 )
    This technology is interesting, but as long as it is reliant on sticking spiked electrodes into your brain to reach neurons, it's not going to be that useful. If/when nano-tech develops to the point where it can be used to effectively interface with large volumes of neurons, with minimal intrusion into the physical brain, then we might see some cool/frightening stuff happening.

  • Holding out (Score:5, Funny)

    by RulesLawyer ( 245442 ) on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @12:07PM (#8849094)
    I'm still waiting for my Google implant.

    Then I'll kick some serious butt on Jeopardy.
  • Seriously, it is one thing to have a buggy, insecure OS in your desktop, but would you want a device running a Microsoft OS implanted in your head?

    I suspect that we'll need to seriously rethink systems software to make these things really useful. My guess is that the first real applications of this sort of thing will be extending people's memorization capability and ability to do mathematical calculations of various sorts.

    To put the value of these into perspective, FDR had a man that travelled with him wh

  • Not again... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DynaSoar ( 714234 ) * on Tuesday April 13, 2004 @05:41PM (#8853381) Journal
    "Brain chips sound pretty Orwellian"

    Such phrasing is apparently all it takes to get something like this into /. Is there some reason the science can't stand on its own and requires fearmongering to make it worthy?

    "First clinical trials planned for 2004."

    They don't even know if it'll work. And if it does, these things are no more Orwellian than a joystick. RTFA and then act like you did, and stop submitting/releasing ScienceFUD. If you need a fix of Brain Eating Monsters, go turn on SciFi Channel or something.

  • I know I am going to be ridiculed, but isn't chipping [surfingtheapocalypse.net] something of a hot topic lately ?

    (tin foil hat ready to be served sir! eat here or take away ?) :-)

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