Most people think that the time of having the melding of man and machine is a long way off; that the bionic man is not even science fiction, but fantasy. It is simply something that we do not need to be worried about.This pervasive thinking is not only wrong, but grossly distorted. Far before the moment the first pacemaker was put in the first patient, the melding of man and machine had already begun. From that time on there has been a steady pace toward a more complete connection of computers and people. Even now we are so completely dependent on computers that our modern societies cannot function without them. In other words, there is no going back. Inventor Ray Kurzweil has been talking about a technological singularity for quite some time now. In short it is a fast approaching time when computers reach a point of surpassing human intelligence through The Law of Accelerating Returns. "A technological singularity is a hypothetical event occurring when technological progress becomes so rapid that it makes the future after the singularity qualitatively different and harder to predict." (Wikipedia)
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The consequence of a continued denial of the true state of the mind/computer interface will be, not only a less effective joining of the two, but a lot more fear and apprehension about it. The costs of not understanding that we are only taking the next step in a process started long ago, is a delay of the inevitable comprehensive union of mind and computer. There is also the unfounded fear of becoming a “Borg.” If we will only approach the bright future of what I like to call intimate computers, with understanding and our eyes wide open, the melding will be almost seamless.
As you will see, the melding of people and computers is already here. The only thing left to decide is how much, and how fast. Humans are always trying to be more efficient, so the progression is going to happen—whether people want it to or not. In fact, it is happening right now, and will only increase as we become more advanced in our ability to create intimate computers.
Man has always been using tools to improve his life, be it a stick to get termites or ants out of a mound, or a rock to smash open a crab. Humans have been following this pattern for hundreds of thousands of years. Man wants to accomplish a task; he makes a tool to solve the problem. Man then uses tools to make a machine to accomplish the task more easily. Man then makes a computer to tell the machine what to do so he can get more done. Man then makes remote devices to communicate with his computers more easily. If we follow the progression into the future, man will make extensive neural links, to communicate with his computers so he can be more efficient. Kevin Warwick Professor of Cybernetics at University of Reading, England is in the process of doing exactly that.
You can see this next progression beginning to happen now, as scientists experiment with connections. “This micrograph of an array, in which nanowires connect with a rat cortical neuron, show the potential for creating functional interfaces between nanodevices and live cells or other biological systems.” (Lieber)
The introduction of mind/computer interfaces are not a horror movie waiting to happen, but only the next step in our quest to be more efficient. We can even see people being helped by computer-powered artificial limbs right now. “…this ‘Revolutionizing Prosthetics’ program builds on DSO’s Human Assisted Neural Devices Program, which has recently decoded the brain’s motor signals with such fidelity that motor movements of a robotic arm can be achieved entirely by direct brain control.” (Ling)
Now a person would have to be very naive not to see that there is a potential for great abuse when it comes to any technological advance. Science fiction stories are rife with doomsday scenarios about runaway technology. One of my favorites is from a short story Evaporation from the book Nanodreams. “This was the bitterest part of his ordeal: Death was no escape. His nanodocs had not been entirely deactivated. Stripping him of his right to immortality was beyond McCandless’s authority.” (Smeds) In the above scenario a positive use of nanotechnology was healing someone, and conveying immortality. This constructive attribute of the technology was turned into a means of torture. This duality of technology is nothing new. Almost without fail, anything beneficial can also be used to bring harm. A very good example is nuclear power. It can be used to provide great quantities of electricity, but it can also destroy entire cities when used as a bomb. As this quote from Edmond Danken Sailer states, “Technology is only as good or bad as the person using it.” If we tried to use only technologies that did not have the capacity to cause harm, we would still be living in caves.
The future of intimate computers is a bright one that will include the greatly increased efficiency of everyone, and a universal increase in the standard of living of humanity. This is already evidenced by increased efficiency that mobile computing has provided. There are numerous television programs and documentaries that show that intimate computers are beginning to be experimented with. The most impressive, and revealing program was on a quadriplegic man Matt Nagle who had a chip in his head.
Not only did his mind accept the interface, but it treated the input just as it would input from any of his other senses. His mind accepted it as another “sense.” The potential of this discovery is immense. People with artificial limbs now, will be able to have a sense of heat and touch in the future. “The goal of synthetic skin is to eventually allow environmental information such as heat and touch to be conveyed through the limb to the wearer. The synthetic skin currently under development is known as polyimide, and is constructed by incorporating carbon nanotubes into a rubbery polymer.” (Keenihan)
I find the coming intimate computers exciting. Not just for the serious aspects such as bionics, and restoration of sensation to paraplegic and quadriplegic people,but I am also looking forward to the more frivolous aspects. There is a day coming in our lifetimes when we all will be able to have wireless interfaces with any computing device from our brains. Voiceless cell phones, PDAs, even a laptop or desktop computer will be accessible from our intimate computer interface.
This thinking might frighten some people, but if one looks at the reality of the doomsday scenarios that could come true, very few have ever come to pass. This is not to say that they are not worthy of exploration because they certainly are. Looking into the negative potentials of the mind/computer interfaces allows us to foresee the possible disasters that we need to avoid. All in all, it seems clear that mankind is just continuing on a path already chosen, becoming more and more efficient, and eventually (and some would say inevitably) fulfilling any potential humanity might have.
—Kail Andersen
Works Cited
Keenihan, Sarah. “Nano-enabled prosthetic skin on ‘bionic’ limbs.” Australian
Prospectives on Nanotechnology, January 15th, 2008
Lieber, Charles M. “The Incredible Shrinking Circuit.” Scientific American Reports,
Special Edition on Nanotechnology. Dec. 2007: 65-71.
Ling, COL Geoffrey, M.D., Ph.D. “Revolutionizing Prosthetics.” Defense Sciences
Office Website,
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/bio/restbio_tech/revprost/index.htm.
Smeds, Dave. Nanodreams, “Evaporation.” 207-226 New York: Simon & Schuster
Publishing, 1995.
Wikipedia, Technological Singularity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity
The introduction of mind/computer interfaces are not a horror movie waiting to happen, but only the next step in our quest to be more efficient. We can even see people being helped by computer-powered artificial limbs right now. “…this ‘Revolutionizing Prosthetics’ program builds on DSO’s Human Assisted Neural Devices Program, which has recently decoded the brain’s motor signals with such fidelity that motor movements of a robotic arm can be achieved entirely by direct brain control.” (Ling)
Now a person would have to be very naive not to see that there is a potential for great abuse when it comes to any technological advance. Science fiction stories are rife with doomsday scenarios about runaway technology. One of my favorites is from a short story Evaporation from the book Nanodreams. “This was the bitterest part of his ordeal: Death was no escape. His nanodocs had not been entirely deactivated. Stripping him of his right to immortality was beyond McCandless’s authority.” (Smeds) In the above scenario a positive use of nanotechnology was healing someone, and conveying immortality. This constructive attribute of the technology was turned into a means of torture. This duality of technology is nothing new. Almost without fail, anything beneficial can also be used to bring harm. A very good example is nuclear power. It can be used to provide great quantities of electricity, but it can also destroy entire cities when used as a bomb. As this quote from Edmond Danken Sailer states, “Technology is only as good or bad as the person using it.” If we tried to use only technologies that did not have the capacity to cause harm, we would still be living in caves.
The future of intimate computers is a bright one that will include the greatly increased efficiency of everyone, and a universal increase in the standard of living of humanity. This is already evidenced by increased efficiency that mobile computing has provided. There are numerous television programs and documentaries that show that intimate computers are beginning to be experimented with. The most impressive, and revealing program was on a quadriplegic man Matt Nagle who had a chip in his head.
Not only did his mind accept the interface, but it treated the input just as it would input from any of his other senses. His mind accepted it as another “sense.” The potential of this discovery is immense. People with artificial limbs now, will be able to have a sense of heat and touch in the future. “The goal of synthetic skin is to eventually allow environmental information such as heat and touch to be conveyed through the limb to the wearer. The synthetic skin currently under development is known as polyimide, and is constructed by incorporating carbon nanotubes into a rubbery polymer.” (Keenihan)
I find the coming intimate computers exciting. Not just for the serious aspects such as bionics, and restoration of sensation to paraplegic and quadriplegic people,but I am also looking forward to the more frivolous aspects. There is a day coming in our lifetimes when we all will be able to have wireless interfaces with any computing device from our brains. Voiceless cell phones, PDAs, even a laptop or desktop computer will be accessible from our intimate computer interface.
This thinking might frighten some people, but if one looks at the reality of the doomsday scenarios that could come true, very few have ever come to pass. This is not to say that they are not worthy of exploration because they certainly are. Looking into the negative potentials of the mind/computer interfaces allows us to foresee the possible disasters that we need to avoid. All in all, it seems clear that mankind is just continuing on a path already chosen, becoming more and more efficient, and eventually (and some would say inevitably) fulfilling any potential humanity might have.
—Kail Andersen
Works Cited
Keenihan, Sarah. “Nano-enabled prosthetic skin on ‘bionic’ limbs.” Australian
Prospectives on Nanotechnology, January 15th, 2008
Lieber, Charles M. “The Incredible Shrinking Circuit.” Scientific American Reports,
Special Edition on Nanotechnology. Dec. 2007: 65-71.
Ling, COL Geoffrey, M.D., Ph.D. “Revolutionizing Prosthetics.” Defense Sciences
Office Website,
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/bio/restbio_tech/revprost/index.htm.
Smeds, Dave. Nanodreams, “Evaporation.” 207-226 New York: Simon & Schuster
Publishing, 1995.
Wikipedia, Technological Singularity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity
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