An end to paralysis
io9 re-posted an article recently about a medical breakthrough allowing brain-computer-interfaces to be built that bridge existing nerve tissue in a limb with the brain, bypassing an injury. These brain-to-muscle connections eliminate the need for prosthetic limbs where the original limb still exists, but is unusable because of some trauma. Previous experiments in the BCI technology have permitted subjects to control prosthetic limbs, but this is the first brain-to-muscle type interface.
The re-post did have a few inaccuracies when retyped from the original article (which they fail to link to. But a Google search finds a likely candidate.) According to that article, practical applications are at least 10 years away (probably a little less if they didn’t account for the increasing rate of discovery.)
Still, the possibilities are quite interesting. Not only can you remotely control human bodies once this technology is perfected (i.e., transmit my motor control signals to your body), but you could also bypass nerve damage and return motor control to paralysis victims, and remotely control prosthetic limbs (for construction, hazardous activity or even surgery.)
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I knew you were an Iteration X plant! More seriously, this is very cool. It sounds like the future is on its way… though probably with fewer full cyborgs than novels imagine.