BCIs and prosthetic advances are pretty exciting! To some extent cyborgs are already commonplace, but this is going to take us into what we currently think of as the domain of sci-fi. It'll be interesting to see how society changes with these new technologies - lots of questions will need to be asked and answered. How are we going to confront the possibility of people electing to replace perfectly functional limbs and body parts with cyborg parts? Further - have you seen the thought-controlled RC quadrotor videos? Here's one, but not the one I was thinking of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVgvTAsrp0s A while back I saw a video of a competition between a thought-controlled 'copter and an RC 'copter, where the competition was essentially a sumo wresting contest - first one to knock the other out of the ring won. The person flying the thought-controlled 'copter was able to successfully dodge his attacker, and ended up winning the contest.
Wow, no blue9, I hadn't seen that. Man, I love the times we are living in. for personal reasons, I want them to figure out how to make a bionic ear that works, perfectly, more than just a cochlear implant, but that's because I have lost almost half my hearing. I've been waiting, it seems like something they should have figured out by now. I would beg borrow and steal to afford perfect hearing. I have hearing aids now, but never wear them. But really, everything human is too delicate. My father needs his knee replaced, my hearing, for others limbs. I wonder where and when we get wherever we are heading.
That's nice that they made a bionic leg, but I'd really prefer they work on a fully functional artificial brain, rather than catering to amputees who mostly brought their situation on themselves (like the motorcycle rider in the article)
It's really not an either/or. Just like in the other threads it's not an either/or for working on AIDS versus Cancer. Science and progress really works best when all approaches are taken, you never know what will be learned in studying one area that will affect the other areas. For instance, If you don't think that working on a leg that is controlled by the brain also helps move forward our understanding of the brain, that's silly. Or studying any disease can elucidate pathways that may prove relevant in other fields.
Think of the money the bionic centers can make for peeps that can no longer walk? I keep thinking of the Million Dollar man!
Incredible. Yet still the only way to tell if a guy's prostrate is enlarged is the magical finger tour up his.....
I should have known by looking at the poster, but you have to admit that your humor cut pretty close to reality on S2. rep by the way.
