Cyberware
Encyclopedia
For other uses; see Cyberware (disambiguation)
Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field (a proto-science, or more adequately a “proto-technology”). In science fiction
circles, however, it is commonly known to mean the hardware
or machine parts implanted in the human body and acting as an interface between the central nervous system
and the computers or machinery connected to it.
More formally:
Examples of potential cyberware cover a wide range, but current research tends to approach the field from one of two different angles: Interfaces or Prosthetics.
, and The Matrix
). Unfortunately, it is currently the most difficult object to implement, but it is also the most important in terms of interfacing directly with the mind. In science fiction the data-jack is the envisioned I/O port
for the brain. Its job is to translate thoughts into something meaningful to a computer, and to translate something from a computer into meaningful thoughts for humans. Once perfected, it would allow direct communication between computers and the human mind.
Large university laboratories conduct most of the experiments done in the area of direct neural interfaces. For ethical reasons, the tests are usually performed on animals or slices of brain tissue from donor brains. The mainstream research currently focuses on electrical impulse monitoring, recording and translating the many different electrical signals that the brain transmits. A number of companies are working on what is essentially a "hands-free" mouse or keyboard [Lusted, 1996]. This technology uses these brain signals to control computer functions. These interfaces are sometimes called Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI).
The more intense research, concerning full in-brain interfaces, is being studied, but is in its infancy. Few can afford the huge cost of such enterprises, and those who can, find the work slow-going and very far from the ultimate goals. Current research has reached the level where limited control over a computer is possible using thought commands alone. Most recently, after being implanted with a Massachusetts-based firm Cyberkinetics
chip called BrainGate
, a quadriplegic man was able to compose and check email.
s, capable of controlling the movements of an artificial limb
, are attached to the severed nerve
-endings of the patient. The patient is then taught how to operate the prosthetic, trying to learn how to move it as though it were a natural limb [Lusted, 1996].
Crossing over between prostheses and interfaces are those pieces of equipment attempting to replace lost sense
s. An early success in this field is the cochlear implant
. A tiny device inserted into the inner ear
, it replaces the functionality of damaged, or missing, hair cell
s (the cells that, when stimulated, create the sensation of sound
). This device comes firmly under the field of prosthetics, but experiments are also being performed to tap into the brain
itself. Coupled with a speech-processor
, this could be a direct link to the speech centres of the brain [Branwyn, 1993].
Cyberware (disambiguation)
Cyberware can refer to:*Cyberware, neuroprosthetics*Cyberware , a Californian company producing high-end 3D scanners...
Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field (a proto-science, or more adequately a “proto-technology”). In science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
circles, however, it is commonly known to mean the hardware
Computer hardware
Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral to a computer case to create a personal computer upon which system software is installed including a firmware interface such as a BIOS and an operating system which supports application software that...
or machine parts implanted in the human body and acting as an interface between the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
and the computers or machinery connected to it.
More formally:
- Cyberware is technology that attempts to create a working interface between machines/computers and the human nervous system, including (but not limited to) the brain.
Examples of potential cyberware cover a wide range, but current research tends to approach the field from one of two different angles: Interfaces or Prosthetics.
Interfaces ("Headware")
The first variety attempts to connect directly with the brain. The data-jack is probably the best-known, having heavily featured in works of fiction (even in mainstream productions such as Johnny Mnemonic, the cartoon ExosquadExosquad
Exosquad is an American animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios as a response to Japanese anime. The show is set in the beginning of the 22nd century and covers the interplanetary war between humanity and Neosapiens, a fictional race artificially created as workers/slaves...
, and The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
). Unfortunately, it is currently the most difficult object to implement, but it is also the most important in terms of interfacing directly with the mind. In science fiction the data-jack is the envisioned I/O port
Computer port (hardware)
In computer hardware, a port serves as an interface between the computer and other computers or peripheral devices. Physically, a port is a specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable connects...
for the brain. Its job is to translate thoughts into something meaningful to a computer, and to translate something from a computer into meaningful thoughts for humans. Once perfected, it would allow direct communication between computers and the human mind.
Large university laboratories conduct most of the experiments done in the area of direct neural interfaces. For ethical reasons, the tests are usually performed on animals or slices of brain tissue from donor brains. The mainstream research currently focuses on electrical impulse monitoring, recording and translating the many different electrical signals that the brain transmits. A number of companies are working on what is essentially a "hands-free" mouse or keyboard [Lusted, 1996]. This technology uses these brain signals to control computer functions. These interfaces are sometimes called Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI).
The more intense research, concerning full in-brain interfaces, is being studied, but is in its infancy. Few can afford the huge cost of such enterprises, and those who can, find the work slow-going and very far from the ultimate goals. Current research has reached the level where limited control over a computer is possible using thought commands alone. Most recently, after being implanted with a Massachusetts-based firm Cyberkinetics
Cyberkinetics
Cyberkinetics is an American company. It was cofounded by John Donoghue, Mijail Serruya, and Gerhard Friehs of Brown University and Nicho Hatsopoulos of the University of Chicago. The Braingate technology and related Cyberkinetic’s assets are now owned by privately held Braingate, LLC...
chip called BrainGate
BrainGate
BrainGate is a brain implant system developed by the bio-tech company Cyberkinetics in 2008 in conjunction with the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University. The Braingate technology and related Cyberkinetic’s assets are now owned by privately held Braingate, LLC...
, a quadriplegic man was able to compose and check email.
Prosthetics ("Bodyware")
The second variety of cyberware consists of a more modern form of the rather old field of prosthetics. Modern prostheses attempt to deliver a natural functionality and appearance. In the sub-field where prosthetics and cyberware cross over, experiments have been done where microprocessorMicroprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
s, capable of controlling the movements of an artificial limb
Limb (anatomy)
A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....
, are attached to the severed nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
-endings of the patient. The patient is then taught how to operate the prosthetic, trying to learn how to move it as though it were a natural limb [Lusted, 1996].
Crossing over between prostheses and interfaces are those pieces of equipment attempting to replace lost sense
Sense
Senses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
s. An early success in this field is the cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
. A tiny device inserted into the inner ear
Inner ear
The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:...
, it replaces the functionality of damaged, or missing, hair cell
Hair cell
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in all vertebrates. In mammals, the auditory hair cells are located within the organ of Corti on a thin basilar membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear...
s (the cells that, when stimulated, create the sensation of sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
). This device comes firmly under the field of prosthetics, but experiments are also being performed to tap into the brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
itself. Coupled with a speech-processor
Speech processing
Speech processing is the study of speech signals and the processing methods of these signals.The signals are usually processed in a digital representation, so speech processing can be regarded as a special case of digital signal processing, applied to speech signal.It is also closely tied to...
, this could be a direct link to the speech centres of the brain [Branwyn, 1993].
See also
- BiomechatronicsBiomechatronicsBiomechatronics is an applied interdisciplinary science that aims to integrate mechanical elements, electronics and parts of biological organisms. Biomechatronics includes the aspects of biology, mechanics, and electronics. It also encompasses the fields of robotics and neuroscience. One example...
- BioroboticsBioroboticsBiorobotics is a term that loosely covers the fields of cybernetics, bionics and even genetic engineering as a collective study.Biorobotics is often used to refer to a real subfield of robotics: studying how to make robots that emulate or simulate living biological organisms mechanically or even...
- Brain-computer interfaceBrain-computer interfaceA brain–computer interface , sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface , is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device...
- Brain-readingBrain-readingBrain-reading uses the responses of multiple voxels in the brain evoked by stimulus and then detected by fMRI in order to decode the original stimulus...
- Central nervous systemCentral nervous systemThe central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
- CyberneticsCyberneticsCybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
- CyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
- Cyborgs in fictionCyborgs in fictionCyborgs are a prominent staple in the science fiction genre. This article summarizes notable instances of cyborgs in fiction.-Examples in history:...
- Neural engineeringNeural engineeringNeural engineering is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties of neural systems...
- NeuroprostheticsNeuroprostheticsNeuroprosthetics is a discipline related to neuroscience and biomedical engineering concerned with developing neural prostheses....
- NeurosecurityNeurosecurityNeurosecurity has been defined as "a version of computer science security principles and methods applied to neural engineering," or more fully, as "the protection of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of neural devices from malicious parties with the goal of preserving the safety of a...
- Simulated realitySimulated realitySimulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation....
- TranshumanTranshumanTranshuman or trans-human is a term that has been defined and redefined many times in history. In its contemporary usage, “transhuman” refers to an intermediary form between the human and the hypothetical posthuman.-History of hypotheses:...
- Wetware (brain)Wetware (brain)The term wetware is used to describe the embodiment of the concepts of the physical construct known as the central nervous system and the mental construct known as the human mind...
- Wetware hacker
External links
- The open-source programmable chip Electroencephalography project
- The programmable chip Electroencephalography project BLog
- The programmable chip Electroencephalography project open circuits wiki
- The programmable chip Electroencephalography project WikiCities wiki
- The open-source Electroencephalography project
- Cyberware Technology by Taryn East - Source containing the rest of the work found on this article
- Department of Membrane and Neurophysics at the Max-Planck-Institute in Martinsried, Germany - an institute working on nerve cell/chip interconnection
- Wetware Technology