February 18th, 2005
Neuromancer gets a little closer
A company called CyberKinetics has reportedly developed a neuron-level interface to the human brain. The tiny chip contains 100 "neuron sensors" and is installed in the brain of a cheerful volunteer. Reportedly (I haven’t seen it at work) a 24-year-old paraplegic man has been able to use the device to check e-mail and play video games.
So what?
Reports of this sort of thought control breakthrough come out every year or so, but who knows? This one may actually be practical. If so, I admit to being ambivalent about it because, frankly, I’m not entirely in control of my thoughts. My brain, left to itself, will often spontaneously conjugate German verbs. Who knows how the interface would interpret that? In any case, this represents another step in the inevitable progression of computing from the remote (mainframes) to the personal (PCs) to the intimate (PDAs) to the integrated (built-in). And when it becomes available, I’ll be first in line…to be the millionth customer. –Ed Gottsman
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
