| Before we come up with some kind of Evil | | | | Fumigation and Extermination Industry while it is |
| Hollywood Science Fiction Artificial Intelligence that | | | | still cheap. |
| for some reason utilizes the horribly inefficient | | | | Concerning human brains, we are a bit more |
| human body as a power source, we are stuck | | | | complicated than insects, so fortunately we have |
| with brains. We are already doing with brains what | | | | a few decades remaining before utter domination |
| the machines do with humans in the classic film | | | | by the evil technocratic elitist corporate Illuminati |
| "The Matrix". | | | | sponsored machine overlords. But actually there |
| Animal brains, that is. Scientists at University of | | | | are brilliant studies being conducted right now in |
| Reading have removed the neural cortex of a | | | | human neuroengineering that will surely fuel the |
| fetal rat, put it in a nutrient and neuron rich broth | | | | flames controversy among conspiracy theorists |
| surrounding a circuit board, and waited. Over | | | | and religious fundamentalists world wide. |
| 300,000 rat neurons eventually forged their own | | | | There are already multiple robots controlled |
| new and unique connections with the cortex and | | | | entirely by human thoughts with no physical |
| circuit board: | | | | controls. Brown University (Shameless Plug: Go |
| "After about five days, patterns of electrical | | | | Bruno!), is leading research on brain control of |
| activity can be detected as the neurons transmit | | | | robotic prosthetics for disabled people with the |
| signals around what has become a very dense | | | | BrainGate program. Many deaf people can now |
| mesh of axons and dendrites. The neurons seem | | | | hear fine due to direct brain-implant interfacing. |
| to be randomly firing, producing pulses of voltage | | | | Where is this all leading? Renown futurist and |
| known as action potentials. Often, though, many | | | | engineer Ray Kurzweil predicts that many of us |
| or all of them will fire in unison, a phenomenon | | | | will choose to add computing power and |
| known as "bursting"." | | | | knowledge to our biological brains (just like the |
| Upon sufficient maturity of this bio-computer, | | | | rest of our body), enhancing our mental health, |
| they then equipped it with wheels and sensors. | | | | capabilities, and intelligence while retaining our core |
| Interestingly, it automatically moved and avoided | | | | personality, individuality, and humanity. Some say |
| walls in a rat-like fashion. The full article and | | | | we will lose our unique individualism as we merge |
| demonstration video is on New Scientist. Don't | | | | with machines, I predict the opposite. Just as an |
| expect your mechanical Roomba to become | | | | uneducated, starved brain from the medieval dark |
| obsolete anytime soon, but better teach your cat | | | | ages or poverty-stricken Africa is limited in |
| some self-control while you wait. | | | | comparison to an educated healthy brain, in the |
| There are also test flights of moths remote | | | | future our minds will expand and become more |
| controlled very precisely by human hands due to | | | | varied in psychology, ideas, creativity, and |
| insect chip-brain interfaces. Using a specific species | | | | perception as we voluntarily tinker with our |
| of moth that's flying trigger is a mere on/off | | | | intelligence, speed of thought, memory, and even |
| signal, rather than requiring a signal for every beat | | | | how the basic components of our brains are |
| of its wings, has been a big leap. Scientists can | | | | organized. Similar to how a prosthetic leg helps |
| now control these insects remotely with much | | | | one walk again or a pacemaker allows one to live |
| less battery power, more accuracy (even | | | | additional years, brain-computer interfaces will be |
| controlling their place and speed in mid-flight), and | | | | just another step. |
| better video feedback systems. Cockroaches are | | | | Evolution, fortuitous as it is, is quite inefficient. |
| old news when it comes to this sort of insect | | | | Evolution has brought us to great places, but also |
| domination, they can already be considered | | | | to great suffering. As Kurzweil says, we will |
| vehicles perfected to the level of remote | | | | transcend the limitations of our biology. |
| controlled toys. | | | | Just another step in the natural evolution of the |
| Obviously everyone is going to be concerned | | | | universe, I believe. |
| about privacy. Forward Thinking: Invest in the | | | | What do you think? |