This is pretty much the coolest thing I have ever read.

(Well, this week, anyway.)

Scientists at Duke University have gotten monkeys to control a robotic arm with only their thoughts, after they cut open their skulls and jammed a bunch of wires into their brains. Of course, they need to get this running wirelessly, but the ramifications of this are as far-reaching as your imagination.

Imagine for a second that people can control industrial machinery by only thinking…to be able to drive your car without using your arms as a conduit.

Imagine that people who are paralyzed might be able to control their limbs again — with synthetic neural pathways replacing organic ones.

Imagine being able to type without typing…to ‘dictate’ wirelessly and silently.

Imagine creating cranial implants capable of input and output, so that you could selectively allow others to control *your* arms…or so you could control what your lover is doing to you during sex.

Imagine being able to transmit perception from one person to another, so that you could effectively close your eyes and see and feel what someone else is.

I’m all for it. Let’s go! Get this stuff perfected!

Read the article that inspired this.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2003 at 1:29 and is filed under Miscellany. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.