Artificial: C9: The Rightmind Helmet

By the next day, we've settled into a kind of pattern. I catch the bus, say hello to Simon Gray and a couple of others at the bus stop. They seem to be 'more than just friends' and are not especially sociable with me.

 

Simon talks about his time in Brant and that he works in the pharma division. When we get to the Brant complex he even leaves the bus at a different stop.  I'm soon at my stop and meet Hermann and Rolf on the way in. They have come along together in Schmiddi's car. We get into the Lab where Juliette is already working on the Cyclone - It looks slightly different to the one that Rolf and Hermann showed me yesterday.

 

Juliette speaks, "This Cyclone headgear records brain signals without the need for surgery and can either measure the electromagnetic fields generated by groups of neurons or detect small changes in blood oxygenation, which correlate well to nearby neural activity."

 

This is a different story from the one told by Rolf and Hermann and I'm both intrigued and confused. 

 

Hermann smiles, "I can see you have been paying attention. This different helmet  - Call it Cyclone 2 - has a whole different software system and and we are in the process of combining the two systems. Call the hybrid Cyclone 3, but the effects give a much better resolution."

 

Juliette smiles and adds,"We are using magnetometers to measure tiny changes in magnetic fields and light pulses through the skull and into the bloodstream in order to measure how much oxygen the blood is carrying at any given time. It's a similar concept to the way that smart watches measure blood oxygenation but has a vastly extended coverage. The headgear takes advantage of the relative transparency of the skull and brain tissue to near-infrared light by beaming photons through the skull and measuring their scattering and absorption, allowing inference about blood flow and oxygenation. That's something called haemodynamics."

 

Hermann adds, "This headgear offers the resolution and sensitivity of state-of-the-art haemodynamic systems across the top layers of cortical tissue.

 

Hermann produces an animated diagram, "Traditional 'continuous wave' near-infrared spectroscopy devices apply light to the head continuously, which then scatters throughout and is detected at various locations upon exiting the head. It has a decent level of accuracy but the processing time (we'd call it latency) of the system means it is like having very slow reactions. In fact they are more like the reactions from someone on the other end of a satellite phone call."

 

I was thinking about some of Brant's early uses for the tech. They wanted to deploy it in military scenarios. It would be like using slightly dim low-fidelity mogadon-zombies in a war-zone. Hopeless.

 

Hermann continues to explain, "Changes in the detected light intensity allow inference of optical-property changes inside the head, like those resulting from neural activity. An analogy would be using a sonar device to detect the movement like shoals of fish in a lake."

 

I thought this all sounded too slow and only good for tracking big objects. 

 

Hermann puts up a new diagram, "Time-domain systems capture a much richer signal by applying the light in short pulses and precisely capturing the arrival time distribution of scattered photons for each pulse. On average, photons that arrive later travel deeper through the tissue, which reveals additional depth-dependent information about the optical properties of the tissue - allowing for more detailed inference of brain activity."

 

Inference - there was the word again. It was still mainly guesswork.

 

Hermann triumphantly concludes, "In other words, this Cyclone headgear is about the most advanced non-invasive haemodynamic and photon inference machine-to-brain communication device anywhere."

 

I'm thinking it is a solution looking for a problem.

 

Juliette adds, "With all these challenges, we’re very optimistic that our bionic future. BCIs don’t have to be perfect. The brain is amazingly adaptive and capable of learning to use BCIs in a manner similar to how we learn new skills like driving a car, using varifocal lenses or using a touchscreen interface. Similarly, the brain can learn to interpret new types of sensory information even when it’s delivered non-invasively using, for example, magnetic and light pulses.

  

I was thinking that it was still a case of join the dots, but someone has erased some of the dots too.

 

Too slow. Too much guesswork. Over-reliance on predictive capabilities. All before the system was hooked up to the shonky AI system. By itself, I couldn't see this working, but I couldn't tell them so. Not in my first week.

Artificial : C8 Schmiddi and Rolf explain

The next day I'm in the Lab with Schmiddi and Rolf. They are eager to tell me that I'm not the only person from Ireland joining the lab. Next week Matt Nicholson will also be joining. 

 

"I think I know something about that," I explain, "Matt was being recruited before me and I think I came  along as an afterthought."

 

They both smile.

 

Rolf speaks, "They say that Herr Nicolson knows plenty about Human to Computer interfacing. It's my specialism, so I will be keen to discuss some techniques with him."

 

I still haven't seen the Cyclone, which I'm told is part of the interface between the human brain and the computer world. 

 

Hermann goes to a locked cupboard. He opens it and brings out what looks like a heavily wired cycling helmet.

 

"Hier. See if you can work out what is happening with it," he hands it to me and I take a look inside the helmet. I'd expected it to be smooth, but now I can see several bands of small spikes criss- crossing the inside section of the helmet. I work out they must be sensors.

 

"See how the Brain Computer Interface in this is on an altogether different scale from the systems trialled previously?" asks Hermann.

 

Rolf chips in, "Cyclone technology builds on decades of BCI research in academic labs, some of which is currently being tested in ongoing clinical studies. Levi Spillmann was a clever guy and this system uses many more electrodes than the systems used in previous studies. Earlier systems used laboratory equipment and personnel to be present. Cyclone's challenge is to build a safe and effective BCI that is wireless yet behaves like an implant. It must scale up the number of electrodes yet remove the need for external equipment (other than the device being controlled), and that users can take anywhere and operate by themselves."

 

"You sound like someone presenting a crazy wish list," I say.

 

"You won't believe how many times I've had to give The Talk," answers Rolf, smiling.

 

"There's been a few false starts, but now we can microfabricate the electrode threads out of thin film metals and polymers. We’ve developed new microfabrication processes and made advances in materials science to include the integration of corrosion-resistant adhesion layers to the threads and rough electrode materials that increase their effective surface area without increasing their size."

 

"But it is still the wrong side of the skull," I say.

 

"That's where we've produced the second breakthrough," explains Rolf. I see Hermann nod as well.

 

"You may have seen the material science descriptions of liquid metal microparticles that can be steered and reshaped by external magnetic fields? It's only just being published by ETH Zurich." Rolf looks excited.

 

I had to admit I'd never seen anything like the technology that I was now hearing about,

 

Hermann takes over, "By blasting collections of microparticles with magnetic fields at alternating currents, we can increase the microparticle temperature to 35 Celsius causing them to morph from a solid into a liquid state in just over a minute. It is the first time a material capable of both shifting shape and carrying heavy loads has been identified for use in microbots.

 

Rolf adds, "Because skin is a stratified squamous keratinising epithelium, it is impermeable. Otherwise we'd have a few problems!  The clever thing is how microparticles emulate the layers of cells, which are routinely renewing and these particles  migrate to the lower skin layers and on into the body. Its a phenomenon."  

 

"Wow, isn't that defeating a major natural defence?" I ask, slightly worried that this science is becoming too god-like.

 

Hermann looks excited,"Exactly. Now these are such small particles and by emulating skin layers they find their way through the protection offered by the skin and other body defences. Do you see the possibilities? We can reconstitute the slivers to create terminators for some of the main neural pathways inside the brain and body. It is much less painful than drilling holes in the skull to implant electrodes.

 

"I see," I say, "It is allowing accessible and addressable connectors which can interface to human neural pathways?" 

 

Hermann nods again, "Yes, we can in effect perform a brain implant from outside, using magnetic forces to guide the positioning of the necessary sensors. The shape-shifting material is the latest in a string of developments across the field of microbotics — as scientists look for potential medical and mechanical applications for tiny robots in everyday life.

 

"Recent microbotic innovations include microbots small enough to potentially crawl through human arteries, intelligent enough to be taught to swim, and others capable of flying through the air powered by tiny onboard power supplies."

 

Hermann adds, "In their liquid form, these microbots can be made to elongate, divide, and merge. In solid form, they can be steered at speeds exceeding 3 mph and carry heavy objects up to 30 times their own weight. The combination means a microrobot made from the sliver material could be deployed to fix electronics in difficult to reach places. The early design used neodymium iron boron which is toxic to humans. It would only be clinically safe for use inside humans if it were completely removed from the body afterwards. The newer designs are organically integrated. The human body cannot tell they are there, so it doesn't try to put up a fight.

 

“Our microbot still needs an external heater for melting and external magnetic field for controlling the movement and shape changing,” he said, "That use of an external force prevents the microbots from being able to 'run riot'. Without the external fields, they cannot do anything."

 

"Although if we have positioned them to the right nerve complexes, they still provide the valuable transitional gateway function," says Rolf.

 

"Does this mean that the neural processing can be conducted outside of the body?" I ask.

 

"Yes," says Rolf, "That is the beauty of the approach. As long as the receptors work and the signal can be detected, an outboard signal processor is entirely feasible. Look."

 

Rolf holds the Cyclone helmet up and I can now see several small circular fitments, each about the size of a wristwatch. He explains, "Those are receivers, which handle incoming signals from the brain. The same sensor can also transmit into the brain, sending it instructions.  The link needs to convert the small electrical signals recorded by each electrode into real-time neural information. Since the neural signals in the brain are small (microvolts), the Brain/Computer link must have high-performance signal amplifiers and digitisers. Also, as the number of electrodes increases, these raw signals become too much information to upload with low power devices. Scaling our devices requires on-chip, real-time identification and characterisation of neural spikes. 

 

Hermann looks at the helmet, "See how much of the system we have managed to put outside? Anything inside the head (or the rest of the body, come to that) needs to be protected from fluid and salts. Making a water-proof enclosure can be hard, and it’s even harder when that enclosure must be constructed from biocompatible materials. 

 

"With the Cyclone we are allowing over 1,000 electrical channels to pass to external decoding and processing and that is in both directions. It is as complex as any microprocessor."

 

It's Day 2 for me at the Brant Lab and I'm blown away.

Peaky Blinders

Following its London premier and sell-out performances in Birmingham, Peaky Blinders emerges as an incredible ballet told by Ballet Rambert. We caught it in Plymouth Powerful, dramatically staged, showing the dissonances of men returning from the trenches of WW I. 

It opens in the trenches of Flanders, then a personal story unfolds in post-war industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate and Tommy is intoxicated by a mysterious newcomer, Grace. 

 The Irish Traveller based family become gangsters and this story  charts their tough course through a city belching the flames of an industrail age. 

 I love Ramberts work going right the way back to Blood Wedding, which is still a stand out show for me - and one that I saw at the Roundhouse in Camden. 

 Written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight, with choreography and direction from Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, this captivating show matches dazzling, athletic dance and stunning dramatisation from the full Rambert company with a live band. 

There are iconic Peaky tracks from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, The Last Shadow Puppets, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. 

  Its amazing. I'd see it again straight away if it stayed in one place long enough.

Artificial: C7: Juliette fantasy

I'm getting ready to leave the Lab for the evening, when I see a striking female looking at me. She is wearing a white fitted stretch shirt and blue trousers. Her chestnut hair is softened into curls. She smiles at me, and I wonder what I've done. 

 

"Hello," she says, with a slight French accent,  "You are Oliver Wells, aren't you?" 

 

I nod.

 

"You joined our lab today, but I've missed you because of my work. Can you come along with me for a short time? So that we can get introduced? My name is Juliette Häberli."

 

How could I refuse?

 

"We'll go to a bar on the lake. Afterwards I can drive you back to your apartment. I assume you are staying where they put the new people, in Rue de la Confédération?"

 

"That's right." I'm a little shell-shocked after the full day in the lab and now what seems to be extending into the evening.

 

We drive to the bar in her fast car and she ensures we have a good table, with a view that looks across the lake and back to the Jet d'Eau fountain. 

 

I tell her some things about myself, who I have already met and what I think I'll be doing. Juliette responds by telling me about her role and how it changed when she moved to Brant. She's been in Geneva for more than a year and seems to know everyone. We order drinks and share an octopus salad.

 

"You know the best places," I say, "It almost feels like a date!"

 

"Non, this is a fact finding mission," she explains, "But I thought we could still go somewhere pretty."

 

"I wasn't..I didn't mean anything.." I splutter.

 

"Désolée, I didn't mean anything either. My self-protection sometimes kicks in. It's because of my psychiatry work, dealing with lots of vulnerable people who mis-read my friendliness. It's only happened a couple of times since I've been over here when I've really fallen for someone."

 

This is the bit where she tells me something and then hopes I'll disclose something back.

 

She continues, "I'd been with a boy - Jacques - for two years, but it wasn't going anywhere and we both knew it. There needed to be a catalyst to change everything, and the new job at Brant was it. I wound myself out of my relationship with Jacques, got a new apartment through Brant, and changed everything. I haven't looked back."

 

I'm still trying to work out what she wants to find out about me.

 

She nibbles at the salad, "Now this could seem unprofessional, but it was a Brant person that suggested the job to me. He was a was a senior guy at Brant, a native of Tel-Aviv named Levi Spillmann who changed to working at Brant and ended in Geneva. He was off-the-scale bright and he brought half the Intellectual Property for the RightMind combat helmet when he transferred to Brant. It was called Createl."

 

"Intriguing," I said, "Is Levi still at Brant?"

 

"That's an astute question! But the answer is no. Prepare to hear something gory. He was a boating nutcase and kept a yacht on the lake here. One day they spotted his boat becalmed in the middle of Lac Léman, by Thonon-les-Bains, which is right in the middle and at the widest point. They sent a rescue boat out to him, but he wasn't on board. His body washed up in Evian, France, around two weeks later. They recorded it as misadventure."

 

"How awful," I shuddered. 

 

"It was. He was one of my 'couple of times'.

 

"What you and Levi?"

 

"Yes. We lived together and I carry scars from that misadventure."

 

She move her arm toward me and showed me the underside of her wrist. There was a small tattoo. Some kind of insect.

 

"It's a scarab. They are Mediterranean, like Levi. It represents protection and is also a powerful symbol.

 

"What's that circle above it?" I ask.

 

"That's the midday sun. A similarly powerful symbol."  

 

"You had those done afterwards?" I ask.

 

"Yes. Levi was one of a kind."

 

I decide to tell her my story about being discovered by a friend of a friend and added to the Bob Ranzino itinerary. It seems far less dramatic than her time with Levi The Brilliant Scientist Who Died In A Lake.

 

She smiles pleasantly throughout, but I can almost sense that she has heard it all before.

 

"So, no love interest?" she questions.

 

"Not in this story. It is what made it so easy for me to leave Ireland."

 

I pause and then ask, "What can you tell me about the rest of our team?" 

 

"The rest you will need to find out for yourself," answers Juliette, "Let's just say we are a close-knit team and watch out for one another. They usually give Amy the tough demands by Kjeld Nikolajsen, and she acts as a deflector for the rest of us. You know. Keeps us protected. 

 

"Like the scarab?" I ask. I see her react by pulling an annoyed face. 

 

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. My sense of humour is so out-of-tune."

 

She brushes it aside and answers, "The thing to remember is that we all try not to over-promise and under-deliver. It's a Germanic work culture. Detailed, accurate and well-planned, but we say when we think things are going to be late. Amy and Kjeld handle the upstream manipulation of 'facts' to the American bosses."

 

"What to people like Bob Ranzino?" I ask.

 

"Yes, there's also a few 'fly-bys' from Corporate head office. You must know how to treat them. They are all quite smart, but relatively unsophisticated in the ways of Europeans. You'll have a natural advantage with English and your command of 'awesomeness' and understatement, which can completely bypass American brains."

 

"But wait, aren't you being over stereotypical?" I ask.

 

"Maybe!" replied Juliette enigmatically.

 

"So, what are you researching, then?" I ask the question to bring the conversation away from washed up bodies, boyfriends and my bad sense of comedy timing.

 

Juliette smiles, "Theory of Mind and its applicability to Human Computer Interfaces." 

 

"Interesting," I say, "Kjeld Nikolajsen spoke about that. You know, a question about whether a cyber-operated robo-cockroach will run from flames when commanded to walk into them."

 

She smiles, "He asks everyone that question, I doubt there can be an original answer remaining."

 

I realise I'd accidentally turned the conversation from washed-up bodies to burning cockroaches. Hardly appropriate when eating an octopus salad.

 

 "I remember Theory of Mind as being about the assessment of an individual human's degree of capacity for empathy and understanding of others. One of the patterns of behaviour exhibited by the minds of both neurotypical and atypical people, is the ability to attribute mental states such as beliefs, intents, desires, emotions and knowledge."

 

Juliette smiles; she could tell I only had rudimentary knowledge.

 

"Yes, you are right. And I'm looking at whether machines can possess similar attributes, or whether those attributes in an animal can override a machine - Just like the burning building scenario you referred to. Theory of mind as a personal capability is the understanding that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one's own." 

 

"For a being or a machine, possessing a functional theory of mind is crucial for success in everyday human social interactions and used when analysing, judging, and inferring others' behaviours." 

 

"I guess it is more behavioural," I hazard in a vague hope that I could keep up.

 

Juliette continued; she was still looking at me intently. "You could say that. Theory of mind is distinct from the philosophy of mind. Deficits can occur in people with autism spectrum disorders, genetic-based eating disorders, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cocaine addiction, and brain damage suffered from alcohol's neurotoxicity; although deficits associated with opiate addiction reverse after prolonged abstinence."

 

"Cocaine, alcohol, opiates; that's a toxic list, where chemistry has been introduced which upsets the balance?"

 

Juliette continues, "Consider what the mind does as an output from a process. The output such as thoughts and feelings of the mind are the only things being directly observed so the existence of a mind is inferred. It's like those old fairground attractions where you ask the puppet fortune teller in a glass case a question and he spins around with an answer. The oldest fairground machines in the late-1800s used a selection of cogs and a man would sit behind the machine in a tent, listen to the questions and make up an answer. It served well as an illusion of a mind in the machine."

 

"I see it is like the question of what is the mind?"

 

Juliette continues, "Exactly. The presumption that others have a mind is termed a 'theory of mind' because each human can only intuit the existence of their own mind through introspection, and no one has direct access to the mind of another so its existence and how it works can only be inferred from observations of others."

 

"Mind theory based upon inference and introspection?" I ask, aware that this is getting deep, "But does that mean that a machine could also have a theory of mind?"

 

Juliette answers, "We're straying into Artificial Intelligence now. Theory of mind appears to be an innate potential ability in humans that requires social and other experience over many years for its full development. Different people may develop a more, or less, effective theory of mind. Theories of cognitive development maintain that theory of mind is a by-product of a broader hyper-cognitive ability of the human mind to register, monitor, and represent its own functioning."

 

"Hyper-cognitive?" I ask. We'd finished the salad and the server was clearing the table.

 

Juliette looked at the waiter and then at me, "Consider the concept of empathy, meaning the recognition and understanding of the states of mind of others, including their beliefs, desires and particularly emotions. This is often characterised as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes". Can a machine do this? Can a machine understand the ideas behind this?"

 

I look at the server who is still quietly clearing things away.  I feel as if I'm in his shoes puzzled by this conversation.

 

Juliette continues, "We attribute human characteristics to pets (like Fido the dog), inanimate objects like Henry vacuum cleaners, and even natural phenomena like Old Faithful water geysers. Most car Sat Navs get given a name. 

 

"It's like taking an 'intentional stance' toward things: we assume they have intentions, to help us predict their future behaviour. However, there is an important distinction between taking an 'intentional stance' toward something and entering a 'shared world' with it. 

 

That's the area that the HCI must cross. Will the machine believe it is sharing the mind of the human, or will it simply piggyback to accept human commands? An intentional stance is detached, and we resort to it during interpersonal interactions. A shared world is directly perceived and its existence structures reality itself for the perceiver. A shared world is the melding of the information space between the machine and the human."

 

"And such a shared world could be one inhabited by lovers?" I ask.

 

"Yes," answered Juliette, "Our server just now was intentionally detached. He just needed to clear the food away. But two lovers...such situations produce many of the hallmarks of theory of mind, such as eye-contact, gaze-following, inhibitory control and intentional attributions. It's the same for mother and child."

 

"That would have some deep implications for an AI device hooked up to a human," I said, "The machine would have to love the human or treat the human as its child."

 

"Yes, we must find another model," said Juliette, "or else we need to make Richard Brautigan's poem come true: 'I like to think of a cybernetic ecology where we are free of our labours and joined back to nature, returned to our mammal brothers and sisters, and all watched over by machines of loving grace.' "

 

 

 

Artificial C5 : Colleagues

Mid-afternoon and I was about to meet my colleagues for the first time. I was amazed at how quickly the first day had passed. By the time I'd been shown back to the Lab, allocated my workstation position, and met the IT Guy and some of the rest of Amy's team, it was time to go home again.

 

Late afternoon, one of the team approaches me. "Doktor Wells?" he asks, "My name is Doctor Hermann Schmidt - call me Schmiddi and this here is my colleague Dr Rolf von Westendorf." We both work in Amy's team and Dr von Westendorf here is researching the same area where we are told you are something of a specialist."

 

Schmidt gestured to von Westendorf, who walked over. Schmidt was a shorter and more rotund man, wearing a suit and looking quite happy. By comparison, von Westendorf was a taller man, with dark curly hair, glasses and a small moustache. His resting face was more sombre. 

Schmiddi starts, "Yes, we are both from Germany - me from Baden-Württemberg and Dr von Westendorf from Bayern - that's Bavaria - as you English call it. And you are from where?"

"Originally London, although I've just arrived here from Ireland."

 

"Excellent, we have another man from Ireland joining us soon. His name is Matt Nicholson. Perhaps you know him?"

 

I realise that somehow I'd overtaken Nicholson in the recruitment process. Considering I was a late afterthought of Bob Ranzino, or probably of Jasmine Summers, it was now ironic that I'd arrived in Geneva ahead of Nicholson.

 

"No, I don't know him, although a 'friend of a friend' does" I explain.

 

"Friend of a friend... It is good that we can we practice our English with you and maybe some of these idiomatische Sachen too.

"I know in England you are less formal with names, so if it is alright, I will call you Oliver. You may call me Hermann and Dr von Westendorf ist Rolf."

Rolf asks, "And what is your area of expertise?"

 

I explained it was robotics and the Human to Computer interface. They were both very interested because it was something they had worked with for several years, particularly Rolf.

"The brain is so well protected and dangerous to interfere with, " says Hermann. "We have, naturlich, a few experiments with animals and it is now possible to place electrodes very precisely, but there is still inevitable outrage at anyone considering doing this to a normally healthy person."

"But what is the specific pressure from Brant?" I ask.

"Nyah, it is an arms race, really," says Hermann.

"Exactly," continues Rolf, "They want to develop augmented humans for battlefield purposes."

"What? Like supermen?" I ask, incredulous. 

"No, nothing like the movies. Far more mundane. They want to provide logistical support from humans. The amount they would need to carry would be dramatically reduced and the on-battlefield telemetry they could handle could be ten or one hundred-fold what we see today.

"But wouldn't it apply all across NATO?" I ask.

Rolf explains, "Yes, but that's not the point. It is not about military advantage. It is about financial reward. The first mover in this marketplace can make a lot of money. That is why Brant, with its military contractor background, will want to be seen to have developed the early models."

Hermann adds, "It's also why Amy is under intense pressure from Kjeld Nikolajsen to get something prototyped."

 

Artificial : C4: Meet Türkirchen

Amy looks at me, "We've a guest in the house this week, He's Professor Doctor Andreas Türkirchen from the University of Zurich where he works in their Brain Research Institute. I should introduce you. You may not already know him, but he's a big deal around the AI circuit."

 

She took me to a large office or small conference room, knocked gingerly on the door and then let us both in.

 

"Herr Doktor Türkirchen, let me introduce you to Oliver Wells, who will be working on the Cyclone project."

 

He looked only a few years older than me, yet had attained the  title of Full Professor, which in Switzerland was a big deal. No. In the world, it was a big deal. 

 

We shook hands, slightly awkwardly and then he introduced himself more fully.

 

"Welcome to Brant and the world of research. This topic in which we share an interest still amazes me and shows such unbounded possibilities. Using the RightMind, we have all manner of Healthcare and other monetisable possibilities. Let me be frank - it is the monetisation that allows our research.  Our sponsors, Brant, have an interest in outcomes more than in our research for academic gains."

 

He gestures to a wall in the room. I recognise the schematic of the fibres linking inside of the brain. It is a wispy yellow creation and reminds me of the kind yellow-dyed wig that Donald Trump might wear.

 

"We are stepping outside of  'neural lace' now.  Elon Musk is investigating it with his company Neuralink and the idea of placing a 'terminal block' inside the head connected to relevant brain areas."

 

I recognise his description of Neuralink and the way a brain-implanted chip could communicate with the world outside of the skull, using a filigree lace of threads to different areas of the brain. Another example of everything works in PowerPoint.

 

He continues, " It is far more complex because the brain isn't really the left and right 2-blob structure usually shown. The many folds make even the simplest topography many times more complex to understand. These gyri fold and the related sulci grooves make the part of our brain responsible for higher cognitive processes like memories, language and consciousness."

 

Now, I knew of this stuff but had not examined it in the level of detail that Türkirchen was explaining.

 

He continues, "The era of merging our minds with technology has falteringly begun. Already, we can hack the brain to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s or help paralysed people move again. But what if you could install a chip in your head that would not only fix any health issues, but could amp up your brainpower — would you remember every word said during a meeting, finish crossword puzzles faster or drive better thanks to enhanced senses, or pick up a new language before your next trip?"

 

I think of Science Fiction as he describes these things.

 

Türkirchen continues. He is admitting it now, "And we know that Super-smart AI isn’t right around the corner, and the goal of creating brain implants for healthy people in just eight to 10 years might not be realistic. But here in Brant, there are scientists hard at work on technology that could boost our mental skills. Some of these gadgets could be worn right on the skin, but the most powerful ones will be nestled in the brain."

 

He adds, "Researchers can also use the technology to deliver messages to the brain. By sending an electric current into the correct neurons, scientists have been able to restore a person’s sense of touch or hearing, treat tremors caused by Parkinson’s, or send very simple signals from one brain to another."

 

That's more like it. HCCH interaction. Human-Computer-Computer-Human interaction. With the middle computers providing some form of interpretive moderation.

 

"Researchers are now exploring whether these technologies could also sharpen certain cognitive skills. One non-invasive technique called transcranial direct current stimulation works by sending electricity through the scalp. Some scientists (and DIY brain hackers) hope it can help improve skills like learning and memory. But it’s not clear yet if this brain-zapping technology is effective."

 

"Meanwhile, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investigating a less direct approach: sending electrical pulses into the body. Research indicates that zapping certain peripheral nerves — which connect the brain and spinal cord to the body — may help people learn skills faster. The most promising target for this approach is the vagus nerve, which passes through the neck. It is like tapping into the information superhighway carrying information from the body to the brain,”

 

Maybe he was proposing a part chemical and part digital approach. The only thing is, it needs a slash to the neck like something out of a bad Mafia movie.

 

Türkirchen continues, "Sending electricity through the vagus and other nerves may prompt the brain to release chemicals that alter connections between different neurons. This is already a key part of our learning, but by using a machine to rev up this natural process, people might be able to “tune” their brains to recognise important details with less practice."

 

I knew it. Using chemicals to accelerate or stimulate learning. It's a more random approach than desirable. 

 

Türkirchen continues, "Implanting electrodes inside a human brain is still risky, so it's only done to treat neurological diseases. However, non-invasive technology can’t zero in on the exact neurons it would need to stimulate to boost someone's mental skills. For that, scientists will need to come up with technologies that can be embedded inside our skulls."

 

Türkirchen show me a couple of diagrams: “At that embedded level you gain access to the actual source code of the brain — our neurons that are firing. That’s the entry point where you gain the highest potential of what you can do.” 

 

The diagram showed neutrons terminated with sensors which, in turn were interfaced to a chip. Good in theory, but very difficult to achieve in practice. I guess that's why he was hinting at the neural lace idea. Fifty sensors into the brain and surely some of them would prove usable. It's still an incredibly reckless hit-and-miss form of experimentation.

 

Then he brings in the idea of nano-sensors: "Or we might take another approach, like injecting nano-sensors that would be deployed throughout the brain and controlled by magnets or radio signals. Some scientists are looking into out-of-the-box interfaces made from electrode arrays printed in a tattoo."

 

"That's where the use of micro-robotics can be linked into the solution. Work in Zurich is already showing promise. We have metallic micro-particles which can be heated to around 35C and can then pass through the skin into a body, where they can be guided and reassembled into specific shapes. Remember the old movie 'Incredible Journey' - about a submarine shrunk to go inside a body? This is a real-world example of something similar, except the metal substances have to be guided from outside of the body."

 

This lab in Brant was either brilliant or insane.