Actualy, you already have this ability. It does take a third party figure called buttons, but they are easy to use. You where born with ten of these things called fingers(I am assuming 10, but I have known people with less). These fingers are quite good at, among other things, pressing buttons. Most calculators come with a buttoned interface, made just for fingers. It really is amazing how technology and your arm can communicat, and with a little practice, it takes almost no thought to control these calculators. I can sell you one of these special interface calculators, for only $1,000. Thats a bargen, controlling technology with only the pressing of buttons! No punch cards required.

Sure, why not.

_>

Though it does sound cool, what would be the point?

Funny thing, you don't always have a calculater when you need it.

How many times have you multiplied 3478 by 9567 with your fingers? I am very good at using my mind to do math (not as good as some, but good, nonetheless), and I wouldn't mind having calculater technology installed in me somehow.

One thing they need to try to see if they can do, is try to use your brain to send the message down the correct path. I mean, all of your nerves are connected, so how does it seperate electricity? But it would be nice if you didn't have to substitute the flexing of your toe to input into your bio-technology.

Elation wrote:

Okay, in a recent science test one of the questions revolved around some scientists who stuck an electrode into a giant squid nerve, or something. They realised that it sent signals using positive or negative charges.

I thought "Aha! Biological and mechanical communication!".
All you'd have to do is stick an eletrode into one of my nerves (or something), then wire the electrode into a circuit board/logic gate that connects to a buzzer.

Sadly it's not that simple. Here's a few of the problems we have yet to work out:

• You can't actually stick a needle in most nerves without causing a lot of pain.
  
• No control mechanism exists in the brain to use such a device; it'd have to be built in from birth unless we find a way to interface to our math/language areas.
  
• Connections do break down over time and so presumably the electrodes would need to be very durable.
  
• There aren't many options for powering the device. I've heard of one implant that uses body heat for power, but odds are that sort of technology is limited.
  
• Preventing rejection or other negative interactions with the body would be difficult. Infection would also be hard to prevent.
  
  Cybernetics is really just in its infancy though, so who knows what we might see 20-30 years down the road? Cochlear implants to restore hearing are now more common and the technology is improving. I suspect in 10 years, implants for patients with severely damaged/impaired retinal cells will also be common, since they're in development now. (These implants basically boost rod/cone cell function; they don't act as cameras.) Our best successes so far have been either sensory or neuromotor, though; truly useful implants with a brain interface are a long way off, if indeed they're possible.
  
  Lummox JR

Strawgate wrote:

There are other ways your not seeing.

There was a show about this. What they do is the put a small implant/sensor in your skull that senses brain activity in a certain area of the brain.they hook it up to a computer. You think left. Part of your brain has activity, they tell the computer that when that part of the brain has activity, move the curser left. They scan for the right movement and tell the computer to move right. This is a very effecient system.

Actually it's not efficient at all. Brain activity sensing is a lot more primitive than you think, and any show I've ever seen on that has borne that out. All of those systems also require extensive training. The most reliable signal scientists can retrieve is a "yes" signal produced by many neurons at once.

Lummox JR

Why do you keep saying 'we'? Are you part of the research team? Most people would say 'they'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4396387.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F1998%2F10%2F15%2Fwchip15 .html


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http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/ 050317_brain_interface.html

Earlier this year, researchers indeed trained four people suffering epilepsy to move a computer cursor with the power of thought. The patients, who were waiting to have brain surgery, were already fitted with small sheets of signal-detecting electrodes on the surfaces of their brains.

The patients were asked to perform certain tasks – such as opening and closing their hands and sticking out their tongue – while scientists determined what brain signals were associated with these movements.


Next, the signals from these movements were matched up with movements of the cursor on the screen. For example, the thought of opening of the right hand might move the cursor to the right. The subjects were then asked to move the cursor from one spot to another on the screen by thinking about making the movements.

The patients had some difficulty at first, but each was able to control the cursor with their thoughts and with over 70 percent accuracy after a few minutes. One patient was operating at 100 percent accuracy by the end of the trial.

Jamesburrow wrote:

Why do you keep saying 'we'? Are you part of the research team? Most people would say 'they'

"We" meaning civilization at large. Our culture has not reached this level of technology.

Lummox JR

Strawgate wrote:

I was just trying to prove Lummox wrong for once.

Yet you ended up proving my point. As I said, control of any such device is limited and requires training. The article you quoted said as much.

Lummox JR