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DARPA Announces Program To Create 'Cyborgs' By Letting Humans Talk To

Computers

 The US ilitary's e!perimental research "i#ision DARPA ha#e con$rme" that

they're to begin %ork on the %orl"'s $rst human computer inter&ace This

%oul" e(ecti#ely allo% sol"ier 'cyborgs' to connect "irectly to computersan" 'talk' to them

 The US ilitary's e!perimental research "i#ision DARPA ha#econ$rme" that they're to begin %ork on the %orl"'s $rst humancomputer inter&ace This %oul" e(ecti#ely allo% sol"ier 'cyborgs' toconnect "irectly to computers an" 'talk' to them

Sol"ier

Cyborg

)(ecti#ely

implantable neural

barrier

DARPA would in the aim to enable soldiers to communicatewith their equipment simply by thought.

 The program* entitle" +eural )ngineering System Design ,+)SD- has

been "esigne" to create a .implantable neural inter&ace able topro#i"e unprece"ente" signal resolution an" "ata/trans&er ban"%i"thbet%een the human brain an" the "igital %orl".

 The i"ea shares some similarities to the $lm 'The atri!' %herehuman beings are 'plugge"' into a #irtual %orl" through a "ata port inthe back o& the neck Ho%e#er DARPA belie#es that the main barrierin place pre#enting humans &rom e(ecti#ely communicating is thatthe cabling %e use to trans&er the "ata bet%een the brain an" thecomputer is &ar too simplistic

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The technology shares some ideas with the science-fction

flm 'The Matri'

Phillip Al#el"a* the +)SD program manager e!plains* 0To"ay1s bestbrain/computer inter&ace systems are like t%o supercomputers tryingto talk to each other using an ol" 233/bau" mo"em*4

05magine %hat %ill become possible %hen %e upgra"e our tools toreally open the channel bet%een the human brain an" mo"ernelectronics4

6hile the program is being run by a military organisation* DARPAbelie#es the applications &or a ne% cable coul" ha#e tremen"ousimplications &or real/li&e scenarios

5t coul" lea" to "e#ices such as bionic eyes* limbs an" more that%oul" then be able to pro#i"e "igital au"itory or #isual in&ormation tothe brain at a resolution &ar higher than our o%n eyes are capable o&

As DARPA "escribes in its report* the current technology %hich allo%s

humans to sen" an" recei#e in&ormation to computers %ork througho#er 733 channels %hich then ha#e to process tens o& thousan"s o&neurons at a time

 The hope is that at the en" o& this program researchers %ill ha#ecreate" a single* e(ecti#e technology %hich %oul" allo% a computerto rea" an" un"erstan" o#er a million neurons at a time

6hat this technology coul" e#entually result in is a high/resolutionnet%ork %hich %oul" allo% amputees to gi#e &ar more preciseinstructions to bionic limbs 5t %oul" also allo% the creation o&a"#ance" bionic accessories inclu"ing 'smart' eyes %hich %oul" beable to process images in night #ision an" then sen" those images"irectly to the brain

DARPA kno%s that &or this to happen* the program %ill nee" to resultin a number o& breakthroughs across #arious "isciplines so "on'te!pect to be or"ering your ne% super/hearing ear anytime soon

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 This isn't the $rst time that the US ilitary's e!perimental research"i#ision has con$rme" it's %orking on neurotechnology

 The RA Replay Program* %hich starte" testing last year care&ullystu"ies the processes the brain goes through %hen trying to learn a

ne% physical or mental skill

Researchers are stu"ying the physical an" neurological inter&aces thattake place to better un"erstan" ho% the brain is rein&orcing ne% skills

.DARPA is about to launch a ne% e(ort to "e#elop neurotechologiesthat may help in"i#i"uals not 8ust better remember in"i#i"ual items

but learn physical skills.

 9ustin Sanche:* program manager sai"; 0)#eryone has ha" thee!perience o& struggling to remember long lists o& items orcomplicate" "irections to get some%here*4

0To"ay %e are "isco#ering ho% implantable neurotechnologies can&acilitate the brain1s per&ormance o& these &unctions4

 The en" result o& the program is to e#entually create a 'chip' or

'implant' that coul" e(ecti#ely allo% sol"iers to learn a skill in theirsleep or allo% them to learn it &ar &aster than it %oul" normally take

 The RA Replay Program isn't 8ust about creating &aster* moreintelligent sol"iers* it's also closely tie" into DARPA's Systems/Base"+eurotechnology &or )merging Therapies ,SUB+)TS- program %hich isresearching ho% similar technologies coul" be use" to help sol"ierssu(ering &rom PTSD

Starte" o#er a year ago* the SUB+)TS program uses a process calle"Deep Brain Stimulation #ia a tiny chip implante" into the patient's

brain

6hen the chip registers that something is %rong* minuscule electricalpulses are then applie" to the a(ecte" areas restoring the patient1sbrain to a healthy state