monkeys and machines

[billwald]

Last week there was a wire story about a chimp's brain being wired to the controls of a mechanical arm. The chimp was first give a joy stick that was wired in parallel but then disconnected. The chimp could operate the arm even after the joy stick was removed.

Awhile back there was a story in "Discover" about the ability to "see" with one's tongue. The output from a vidio camera was interfaced to a human's tongue and the brain learned to translate the impulses into a crude picture.

Point being that if my brain could be taught to accept input from external sensors and to manipulate external mechanical devises, I'll volunteer for the first human brain/computer transplant.

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

Yeah, I think we had the monkey article on here a while back. I think they do it by sensing the electrical impulses to trigger the machine. However they use existing impulse paths, I wonder how this would work if say you put a tail on a human? Would we be able to control something that isn't similar to what our body naturally has? I want my tail back!

 

[Mike Flynn]

Last week there was a wire story about a chimp's brain being wired to the controls of a mechanical arm. The chimp was first give a joy stick that was wired in parallel but then disconnected. The chimp could operate the arm even after the joy stick was removed.

Awhile back there was a story in "Discover" about the ability to "see" with one's tongue. The output from a vidio camera was interfaced to a human's tongue and the brain learned to translate the impulses into a crude picture.

Point being that if my brain could be taught to accept input from external sensors and to manipulate external mechanical devises, I'll volunteer for the first human brain/computer transplant.

Its very promising work for the disabled...but for now, I prefer my own healthy eyes, arms and legs to any aritificial facsimile...today's sensor's and limb technology *pale* compared to healthy human anatomy.

 

[Jet Black]

Yeah, I think we had the monkey article on here a while back. I think they do it by sensing the electrical impulses to trigger the machine. However they use existing impulse paths, I wonder how this would work if say you put a tail on a human? Would we be able to control something that isn't similar to what our body naturally has? I want my tail back!

well maybe not on you, but quite possibly with a baby. apparently babies don't know that their feet belong to them for the first few weeks or months, which is why they chew them and wave them round like crazy. basically they get the idea through feedback. I am not sure how adaptable the adult brain would be in this case.

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

Hmmm. So babies learn thru feedback, makes sense. The nerve cells in the foot send signals to a part of the brain. Eventually the baby realizes that the stimulus is the result of chewing on its foot.

Only thing that could possibly pose a problem for my tail is

-Body parts can only be linked to a certain part of the brain.
-A nerve path(or wiring or a radio thingy) must exist to relay the signals from that part of the brain to the tail
-Is it even possible to just pick a part of the brain, hook a wire into it, and send it unkown signals.


Once the tail is in you would have to stimulate it so that brain knows it is there. Of course this is all assuming you find the right part of the brain to hook into and survived the operation...

 

[Godzman]

Don't we all learn through feedback

 

[pureone]

Don't we all learn through feedback

 

[-Jae-]

It can be done. Dr. Octopus is the living proof.

 

[Jet Black]

-Body parts can only be linked to a certain part of the brain.

no, generally body parts are only linked to certain parts of the brain, no doubt this will be due to the instructions, where nerves go, and so on, however those instructions can be moved around. I recall an example where someone had a stroke in the motor cortex, which completely knocked out their ability to control their limbs. however over time they regained control of their limbs (astonishingly, since the destruction was severe). A brain scan went to show that some of the control had moved into the frontal lobe and other areas of the cortex. It was absolutely fascinating, I will see if I can dig it up. I don't know alot about neuroscience, but I would say that the reason different instructions and so on occur in different places is due to where the wires come in and go. The brain still has an awful lot of versatility and flexibility to cope with something like this.

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

That's what I was thinking about. The underused, or seemingly unused parts of the brain could function like a USB connector for the human body. The problem is figuring out what cells are capable of what. Wish I could find some research on this but haven't found anything yet.

 

[Jet Black]

That's what I was thinking about. The underused, or seemingly unused parts of the brain could function like a USB connector for the human body. The problem is figuring out what cells are capable of what. Wish I could find some research on this but haven't found anything yet.

I don't think there is really such a thing as unused or underused parts of the brain, despite what scientology would teach. I would think that the learning of these kinds of things would be up to the brain as a whole... my description of this is not too good, so bear with me: the control of some structure, whether artificially added, or there naturally is not done by a set lump of the brain, rather a cascade of processes through many many neurons and synapses, will result in some effect, for example the tightening of a muscle. hence if we add a structure to the brain in the form of electrodes, then based on the same feedback principle (though probably a visual one) you would gain a control over the device, since the brain would learn what cascade of instructions and so on led to that device being activated in a particular way.