With computers, science and medicine making advancements every day, combining electronics with the human mind may be the next big step. Already, Facebook is developing a neural interface that would enable you to control their software with your mind, while Elon Musk is preaching about transcending the limitations of human body by merging with the machines to ensure the survival and relevance of humans as species.
To explore the possibilities of human-machine interfaces of the future, I spoke with Michael Merzenich, a professor emeritus in neurophysiology and co-inventor of the cochlear implant. He is now a co-founder and chief scientific officer at Posit Science, which provides brain fitness software and services through its BRAINHQ platform.
Merzenich is an ideal person for this discussion, since the implant he helped invent is a true neural interface that transforms sound waves into electrical impulses that our brain can process. The fascinating thing about it, though, is that it relies on brain plasticity – the ability of the brain to change chemically, structurally and functionally in response to sensory and other input. Because of that, Merzenich and colleagues could connect the implant to just a few of 3,000 possible connection points in the patient’s cochlea, and the brain adapted, filling in the missing information and providing a better sound quality for the patient...
Read more at:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-and-elon-musk-want-to-link-your-brain-to-your-computer-2017-05-04------
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