The Making of a Cyborg #4: Brain-Computer Interfaces

The BrainGate is an example of an invasive BCI. (Photo by Michael Edwards)

In this final entry in this series, I will elaborate on a topic I mentioned last time about a specific category of neuroprosthetic that allows people to manipulate computer devices with their mind. This technology is known as a brain-computer interface, and it offers enormous potential in terms of disability support.

The Making of a Cyborg #3: Neuroprosthetics

Cochlear implants can give people born deaf a sense of sound. (Photo by Bjorn Knetsch)

So far in this series I have primarily focused on how robotics can be used to replace missing limbs and assist movement, but the devices I have mentioned are, by and large, still very much external to the human body. This time I intend to delve deeper into the human body and discuss how computer technology can be integrated on a more fundamental level. This is the field of neuroprosthetics. A neuroprosthetic is, in a nutshell, "a device that supplants or supplements the input and/or output of the nervous system" [1], and while this field is too vast and complex to fully cover in a single blog post, I will do my best do give an overview of the major applications.

The Making of a Cyborg #2: Exoskeletons

A prototype HAL suit from Cyberdyne. (Photo by Steve Jurvetson)

In the last instalment of "The Making of a Cyborg", I covered a few of the ways in which robots can replace part of the human body. But in many cases, this kind of approach may not be appropriate. A person might still have their entire body but be unable to move it properly due to issues such as paralysis. Meanwhile, military organisations are constantly researching ways to enable soldiers to run faster and lift heavier objects. Both of these problems may in fact be solvable via robotic exoskeletons: wearable machines capable of enhancing the movement of the human body.

The Making of a Cyborg #1: Artificial Limbs

DEKA Research's "Luke Arm". (Photo by DARPA)

It's a concept straight out of science fiction. From Star Wars to Robocop to Ghost in the Shell, countless stories have imagined how man and machine can be fused into something new -- a cyborg. But the technology presented in these stories might not be as far off as people think. In this series of blog posts, I will explore the ways in which current robotic and computer technology can augment or replace parts of the human body. This week, I will start with something that will immediately spring to most people's minds when they hear the word "cyborg": artificial limbs.