Ultimate Human-Machine Interface

[jwo7777777]

Sensor/antenna array that sits on the head (or pierces into the brain) coupled to a large enough fuzzy logic neural net coupled to your computer.
Trick is training the neural net to translate Human<-->Machine.

This is an Occam's Razor solution. I don't pretend to fully understand how it could work or whether it is currently practical, but I believe it could be one heck of a peripheral.

Your thoughts?

 

[454Casull]

Isn't Occam's Razor when you keep complicating a solution to a problem and then it finally kills you?

 

[daddyo]

A lot of researches already have these. I was looking into this not to long ago.

I actually found a company that sells a system designed just for this. It came with the equipment and an SDK to interface with windows applications. It was quite pricey.

I can't remember the company, but if you root around for Biofeedback and Computer Interface, it will turn up.

There are also several lines of research that involve linking neurons directly to electrical devices. Scientists are currently struggling with that interface, but are confident a solution can be found.

 

[zsouthboy]

w00t!

Will....uh....this automatically....uh...."enhance" all the pR0n....on my computer?

I am very interested in this technology(not just for the, uh, pleasures)..... I am so tired of moving the damn mouse around and typing on the keyboard.... and voice recognition is not quite where I need it yet....beleive me it's close though....

zs

 

[Elledan]

The Ultimate Human-Computer interface would be accomplished by directly linking the Human to the computer by use of something like a transmitter/receiver, which would be implemented into the brain. This device would have 'mounting'-points where neurons can connect to. This way the device becomes fully integrated into the brain and the person will be able to directly communicate with the computer, without the use of any other input/output devices.

The computer as an extension of the brain. Calculations, storage etc.

 

[ChillyPenguin]

come on people, dont you read?!?!?

3001 my Aurthor C. Clark...? any one...?

ok, well, i have given quite a bit of thought to human/machine direct communication (and been called the anti-christ for it...). You are correct in the picking up of human thought and emotion as input to the machine, but that is not a true interface. what you must do is create an interface that only the user sees. via optic nerves or what not.

oh yeah... something you may want to wrap your brains around (before you wrap computers around your brains). how much of the computational potential of the human mind is left unused? could this be put to use in the greatest distributed computing solution in history...?

maybe we could enslave everyone and use their brains to render a world in which they are complacent... wait... thats a movie already isnt it?

 

[Nefrodite]

how much of the computational potential of the human mind is left unused?

none else u'd be fine if i scooped a bit of your brain out

 

[Elledan]

<< how much of the computational potential of the human mind is left unused?

none else u'd be fine if i scooped a bit of your brain out >>


The removal of about 50% of the brain of an individual before or shortly after it has been born will have little or no noticable effect on the functionality of this individual.

 

[Nefrodite]

hmm really? absolutely no effect? but thats shortly after birth, the brain likes to rewire itself, made even easier that early since its still wiring itself in the first place .. maybe more brain grows, those cells do divide ya know but what i said is true for adult brains.. u can't lose that grey stuff

 

[Elledan]

<< hmm really? absolutely no effect? but thats shortly after birth, the brain likes to rewire itself, made even easier that early since its still wiring itself in the first place >>

Correct, because the brain is still forming during those stages, a 50% decrease in braincells doesn't really matter, especially since during the development of the brain countless neurons are killed while competing for connections with other neurons.


<< .. maybe more brain grows, those cells do divide ya know >>

Only in areas like the hippocampus are new neurons being formed.


<< but what i said is true for adult brains.. u can't lose that grey stuff >>

Partially correct.

One could in theory suffer a severe stroke, whereby a large part of the brain would die off, after which the brain would recover by assigning the tasks previously carried out by the lost parts of the brain to parts which were previously not, or hardly used.

Don't forget that a biological neural network is highly flexible; it can adapt to many changes.

 

[Sahakiel]

<< Don't forget that a biological neural network is highly flexible; it can adapt to many changes. >>



I think we're heading towards discussing the creation of the Borg....

 

[Elledan]

<<

<< Don't forget that a biological neural network is highly flexible; it can adapt to many changes. >>



I think we're heading towards discussing the creation of the Borg.... >>


Call me crazy, but I think that one day Humans will become much like the Borg, in the sense that they will be linked together, in a kind of Internet, but then all nodes being individuals.

It would be the ultimate form of communication, actually.

As for cybernetic implants, they are already being used and will become very popular in the next couple of decades.

 

[Nefrodite]

they sure can adapt, but to what level? i'm not sure but i'm assuming that most stroke patients don't recover 100% even after therapy to relearn skills. Are there any twin studies where one twin lost 50% of the brain at birth?

 

[Elledan]

<< they sure can adapt, but to what level? i'm not sure but i'm assuming that most stroke patients don't recover 100% even after therapy to relearn skills. >>


This is because certain hormones which stimulate the growth of neurons are not produced [in sufficient quantities] to circumvent the damaged part. In less complex organisms, all neural pathways can be regenerated, whether they are located in the central or peripheral nervous system. Organisms like Humans do not have this ability, probably for 'safety' reasons: it's namely quite dangerous and unpredictable what the results will be of almost randomly reconnecting neurons in for example the spine.

These 'precautions' taken by evolution are what limits the ability of more complex animals to fully recover from damage to the nervous system.


<< Are there any twin studies where one twin lost 50% of the brain at birth? >>

I believe there was at least one case where a child was born without the left or right half of his/her brain, similar to cases where a child was born with only one lung. This is usually caused by a malfunction in the hox-genes.

 

[jaydee]

<< Sensor/antenna array that sits on the head (or pierces into the brain)
Your thoughts? >>


That can't be too comfy.

 

[UCJefe]

Tell that to this guy.

Professor Becomes World's First Cyborg

It'll be interesting to see how that turns out.

 

[daddyo]

The human brain is actually slower at processing single bits of information than a computer. The power of the brain lies in excessively massive parallel computing.

And that Dr. Warwick is a hero of mine. I think that might be the coolest experiment I've ever read about. I've been following it for a year or so now. Absolutely badass. I can't believe it's not getting more coverage.

 

[SHoddyCOmp]

From the article..
<< Connecting wires were fed under the skin of the forearm and out from a skin puncture and the wounds were sewn up. >>

Wow, wires sticking out of your arm? That has got to be weird!

 

[jwo7777777]

I only want it play counterstrike without my boss telling me to stop playing games at work.

 

[rimshaker]

Best interface I've ever seen was on an episode of Star Trek: TNG

Lt. Barkley built some neural interface machine on the holodeck to link up with the ship's main computer. He essentially became the computer

 

[DaiShan]

does anyone else find it slightly disturbing that elledan with his borg icon is soo interested in this thread? yeah I need a human to comp interface to help my cs skillz, this hand eye thing isn't really workin for me

 

[Nefrodite]

<< does anyone else find it slightly disturbing that elledan with his borg icon is soo interested in this thread? yeah I need a human to comp interface to help my cs skillz, this hand eye thing isn't really workin for me >>



ah with direct interface you could even add pain to games for hardcore players

 

[Understudy]

Hmm - imagine people trying to overclock their brains

You'd want a damn fine virus checker as well.