Japan's Cyborg Research Enters the Skull 120
RemyBR writes "Researchers at Osaka University are stepping up efforts to develop robotic body parts controlled by thought, by placing electrode sheets directly on the surface of the brain. The research marks Japan's first foray into invasive (i.e. requiring open-skull surgery) brain-machine interface research on human test subjects. The aim of the research is to develop real-time mind-controlled robotic limbs for the disabled. 'To date, the researchers have worked with four test subjects to record brain wave activity generated as they move their arms, elbows and fingers. Working with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), the researchers have developed a method for analyzing the brain waves to determine the subject's intended activity to an accuracy of greater than 80%.'"
Surely there's an easier way...? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Surely there's an easier way...? (Score:4, Funny)
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Military grant for a soldier with a 3rd arm for a minigun anyone? Anyone at all?
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Re:Surely there's an easier way...? (Score:5, Funny)
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Oh, stay away from me Dr. Octavius, I know what happened the last time you tried that!
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This website, (although not very official looking) says the minigun weighs 30 pounds, which sounds reasonable. That's kind of heavy to be pointing with one arm. Plus the ammo would weigh another 35 pounds. A minigun mounted on the back of a jeep would be cheaper, more ethical, faster, easier to defend, easier to aim, and easier to use. Also, what's the advantage of being able to shoot one without pulling a trigger?
So in answer to your
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It might be easier, but it won't give near as fine-grained control as this method would provide.
I'm not convinced about that. The brain has an amazing ability to adapt to new functional changes, for example, rerouting neuronal cell connections and growing more cells after damage. These changes happen at the brain, but they can influence information transfer to nerves all over the body. If you admit that it is possible to learn how to type words [with a low error rate] with your toes, then it shouldn't be much of a stretch to realise that the brain is able to adapt to — and get progressively f
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Re:Surely there's an easier way...? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Surely there's an easier way...? (Score:5, Funny)
I was a little more focused on the "greater than 80% accuracy bit" especially with the potential strength enhancements...
Nothing like playing Japanese roulette when you shake the leftover urine from your plumbing.
" OH GOD, NOT AGAIN!!"
unless of course you could get a fully functional replacement for it.
"hey baby, you up for a little interactive machine love?"
On the other hand, it would probably run linux.
On the upside... (Score:5, Funny)
On the upside, there's the vastly improved uptime...
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I guess that's going to impact the 80% rate, one hand running Windows and the other running Linux...
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Of course. Can you imagine running MS software on that ?
"Oh god no, not bluescreen, not now ! I'm so sorry darling, this has never happened before..."
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Like everything in Japan (Score:5, Funny)
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and accept only the lesser title of Zinc Saucier,
which I just made up.
Also, it comes with double prize money."
- Bender
Danger is my middle name (Score:4, Funny)
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You make a good point, Mr. Roboto.
Well now we get to find out the answer... (Score:5, Funny)
Just make sure to say no if one these subjects starts asking for more tritium!
So around 20% of the time (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, it's a good point. (Score:3, Interesting)
Hopefully they've thought of this already, but I could totally see them getting bogged down in studies of the nature "Ok, try to pick up cup A, now cup B" etc and overlooking what the device w
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Re:Actually, it's a good point. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Actually, it's a good point. (Score:4, Funny)
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tests subjects first dream where the wrestle a bear, upon waking discovers his robotic arms have torn his pillows to shreds!
Re:Actually, it's a good point. (Score:4, Insightful)
And this is why our brain produces chemicals to actually inhibit our body's muscles during sleep.
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And this is why our brain produces chemicals to actually inhibit our body's muscles during sleep.
Despite those chemicals, I tend to twitch: if I dream of running, my legs twitch; if I do something with my arms, my arms twitch — I start the movement, but then stop it.
I only noticed it a few times when half asleep, but my gf says it happens quite a lot when I sleep.
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Despite those chemicals, I tend to twitch: if I dream of running, my legs twitch; if I do something with my arms, my arms twitch — I start the movement, but then stop it.
I only noticed it a few times when half asleep, but my gf says it happens quite a lot when I sleep.
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As long as the sensors are able to recognize specific thought patterns, it's reasonable to expect that an unimpaired brain could learn to generate the appropriate signals to produce the desired effect.
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For example:
"Don't think about a beowulf cluster of 1,000 supercomputers all wasting their computing power on a single game of Tetris."
I mean, with a machine directly connected to your brain, and the most assuredly increased levels of stress you'd be under, I'd say that there's a significant risk of someone being inadvertently controlled, either by voice or by commercial, or something more sini
Sweet! (Score:5, Funny)
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Rather than digging in and swapping out all of the old hardware, why not just tape on an accessory 'brain'? It would provide a standard interface for all further accessory systems while avoiding those messy metaphysical arguments tied to fake brains.
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I think this has great potential and here is why. (Score:5, Interesting)
I think the most interesting thing about research like this is, not only the technology behind the interface, but the fact that the brain it self will adapt to use the new interface.
The basic concept of the brain is it's ability to create pathways to 'memorize' an action. This is why a right handed person can learn to write with the left hand. In the same way the brain can learn how to manipulate the interface and thus create new pathways to make it an innate action
Re:I think this has great potential and here is wh (Score:1)
Re:I think this has great potential and here is wh (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, it's amazing. I've seen a lesser version of this in the "thought controlled mouse" some years ago, where a clip on your finger measure electrical pulses (or something, don't remember technical details), and after about an hour of "training" people were able to control the mouse without moving, just thinking about it.
Or lo
Re:I think this has great potential and here is wh (Score:2)
I for one (Score:5, Insightful)
It makes me wonder if physically and mentally challenged people are going to be the most important players in our meta-evolution into a man-machine hybrid. After all people would naturally freak out at first if someone suggested using this kind of technology on healthy humans to "enhance" them, because the idea is alien and it is natural to be scared of the unknown. But once this kind of technology is mainstream and is used routinely to bring at par people who would otherwise be seriously challenged, then much of the fear would be quelled. The next obvious step would be to lower the bar of what constitutes "challenged".
Too bad I might be dead before they figure out how to interface a "google chip" of sorts and all the knowledge known to mankind is just a thought away.
Re:I for one (Score:5, Informative)
Occasionally I envy her ability to turn it off. But I really want bionic eyes with zoom, split-screen, and picture-taking ability.
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well that's cute but think of the possibilites of an x-ray vision!! grrrr!
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Obligatory Matrix Quote (Score:4, Insightful)
"This will feel... a little weird."
ObSMAC (Score:2)
-- Commissioner Pravin Lal,
"Report on Human Rights"
I think, and my thoughts cross the barrier into the synapses of the machine, just as the good doctor intended. But what I cannot shake, and what hints at things to co
This reminds me of Ghost in the Shell (Score:2, Insightful)
OUT OF DATE (Score:5, Interesting)
Being a patient of corrective surgery for epilepsy twice, I decided to actually RTFA.
The article is about Japan placing electrodes directly onto the brain to pick up more accurate signals. This actually has no direct link to having computer controlled body parts; as the FTA says they have been using electrodes placed directly on the brain to pick up activity when one moves his or her arm.
Why is this old news? during my last round of epilepsy correction surgery, (in 2001) I went through surgery so they could place an electrode plate inside my skull in order to pick up right temporal and frontal lobe activity with the greatest accuracy. I can tell you it gave me the worst headache ever for the week or so they monitored me for seizure activity, but they immediately removed it once they decided the correct tissue to remove. Thankfully since then, it showed that the second time, not third, was the charm, for i'm off of seizure drugs without having seizure activity. And intelligence-wise, well, I still can write in assembly, and I read slashdot 3times a day. (that doesn't exactly show i'm intelligent though, not all slashdotters use their brains :-P)
As you can see, this article is BS. Wake me up when they are using electrodes to directly interface with and manage brain activity, none of this activity reading bullshit. Yes, i was in a bad mood previous to reading TFA. heh.
EndOfRant
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While I guess in some cases you might not have much choice (epilepsy is rather life-destroying as-is, depending on the degree), I have to congratulate you - and anyone willing to undergo such trials - on your courage!
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Re:OUT OF DATE (Score:5, Interesting)
The first time was when I was 11, and the surgeon ended up not removing enough (this was at Children's Hospital of Detroit), because I started having seizures 5 years later. So at 17, I went to the Cleveland Clinic and I had the rest of the area taken out, along with a miniscule amount of the right frontal lobe taken out. The only permanent effect I still have is that I have no "right" peripheral vision in both of my eyes. Which isn't really that severe. Any other problems I had, like fear recognition (linked to the amygdala, which was partially removed), hunger, and such were short term, and were expected.
If you are curious about how this stuff works, its an interesting read. http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/surgery_cortical.html [epilepsy.com]
The second surgery was also a reason why I decided to give up on religion, but that is a whole other story by itself. Let's just say that as an 11 year old child, I put my faith in a God to stop fear and pain. As a 17 year old teenager, I gave up on that God, and put the faith in myself, and it worked. Yeah, it might sound a little simplistic, and maybe surgeons knew more than before, but that kind of logic is the same kind that religions use to function, and that exact logic was what showed me that gods don't exist.
Old news (Score:2)
O RLY (Score:2)
Kind of like how the aim of P2P is to distribute Linux and other large FREE software, but we all know what the real purpose is - Mind Controlled Sex Devices!
Does this mean that if we use (Score:2)
surprised (Score:1)
Re:surprised (Score:4, Insightful)
Japanese open-skull implants ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Ouch! (Score:1)
So someone with a prosthetic as a result of this research might kick the person in front of them 20% of the time they move their leg?
Telekinesis (Score:2)
Is a bit more invasive than i.e. piercing, but could be the next big thing.
Japan, home of giant mecha fighting (Score:1)
This is scary! (Score:2)
"...analyzing the brain waves to determine the subject's intended activity to an accuracy of greater than 80%."
Is 80% really good enough? I'm reminded of an old joke about an artificial arm that had to be given verbal instructions through a microphone in the shoulder. A sad conclusion occurs over a misunderstanding of the words, "Bionic arm, whack it off."
Mighty Morphine Power Rangers (Score:1)
DUH! They want real mechas. Voltron FTW!
Seriously, who needs nukes when you can control giant death bots with your brainwaves ? It's like every bad westernized anime plot, and frankly I think it's a bit too much. That, or I don't trust the Japanese... smart is fine, and depraved can be fun, but both smart and depraved is a dangerous combination.
japan + brain implants = eletronic tail? (Score:1)
Bring It On! (Score:1)
Resistance is Futile (Score:1)
Osaka? (Score:1)
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Ah yes. The sea cow.
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Thar she lows!
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