Many of us have heard about some of the new nanotechnology that is being developed for use on humans. Researchers are trying to perfect an implant that will be able to transmit directly to the optic nerve center of the brain, allowing people who are blind to “see”. There is also a lot of research being done with rats, using small electrodes implanted into their muscles and nano-transmitters connected to their brains. The idea is that the brain could then control the movement of muscles, thereby maybe allowing paralyzed people to move. This week I heard a researcher interviewed on NPR describing his research into a nanotechnology area that really got my attention.
What this team of scientists is doing is not something that will be used to help heal humans, but something that may transform what a human is. The researchers claim they are making great advances with the technology, predicting that the first devices will be available for human trials in less than 10 years. If the ethical objections certain to be raised can be overcome, they believe people will be commonly using their technology within 20 years. According to the researchers they can make the technology work now, with only two important development hurdles to be overcome. The first a need for much better mapping of the brain, allowing them to know much more than is currently known about exactly what areas of the brain, (on a neuron level), are used in the processing of ideas, memories, and analytical thought. The second is the need to develop even better nano-devices that can be used without any physical effects at all.
So what exactly am I talking about here? Simply put, it is the ability to use a small computer to feed information directly to the brain. This is now the stuff of science fiction, but according to the people doing the research, not all that difficult do accomplish. The end result is seen as a nano-computer, implanted under the skin somewhere on the body. This computer would be wirelessly updated and able to wirelessly transmit information to nano-implants in the brain. Eventually you could have all the information in the world available to your brain. Everyone could in theory, know everything.
My first thought about this was sort of odd…. If it comes to be, what would we humans have to talk about? My second thought was more disturbing…. If you know everything I know, and we both know everything there is to know, well the ramifications of that are too enormous and disturbing for me to really want to think about.
I would normally be quite skeptical that this technology could ever really come to work. But listening to the matter of fact confidence of the scientist being interviewed, and hearing him describe what they can already do with somewhat cumbersome devices, I believe there is a real possibility that, at least from a technological standpoint, this will come to pass. If we have learned anything about technology over the last quarter century it is many people will embrace any new technology that is developed. Within a short few years, most of the rest of the people will come to make use of the technology. If this is made to work, I believe we humans will make use of it. Preparation for this change in what the human mind really is may perhaps be the most difficult societal challenge of the next quarter century.
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Very interesting Will. If you know what I know and visa versa, the economic implications of what is needed comes to mind. If I know how to repair something, like my car or computer, what happens to the person/company who used to do the repairs? I don’t know if this will actually come to pass in 20 years or even if I will even be around, still interesting to ponder, what about 40 years 50 years, 100 years? scary and exciting times, that is if we don’t blow ourselves up first.
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Very interesting to say the least, I guess well just have to see how it turns out, hehe.
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Advancing in brain technology interaction are quite challenging. Breakthroughs are difficult to predict. But I share some of your skepticism on whether this will really come into being in the next 10 or 20 years. At the same time some fantastic research is being done. It will be very interesting to see what happens.
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Funny we humans want to be superhumans, and then what…I don’t object technology but I think some of the things we try to do becomes unnatural. Anna
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That’s a good point, Bob – Brain repair? Even though I have no nanotechnology installed, I could use a little repair!
Yeah John – I am skeptical. But usually researchers are quite conservative in their predictions and timetables. This guy was very confident it was going to happen… and very convincing in his confidence.
Actually, we already have the technology to shoot electronic signals directly into the human brain. It has been used to help the blind “see”, as you mentioned, but it requires the person to basically walk around with a computer strapped to his body and a rod sticking out of his head – not very sophisticated. As nanotechnology becomes more affordable and refined, we will be able to cure people of irreversible afflictions like blindness, in theory.
I appreciate your worry about everyone knowing everything in the scenario you put forth. There will always be more to learn, because we can only know what humans have found out. But the complications of such a world are too much to think about, I agree.
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Thanks for that. Good point about only knowing what we as humans already know. I guess a requirement of any such technology would be access to instant updates! Complicated indeed. Plus if we all knew everything, life would be dull. Not being smarted than some people and dumber than others would remove the ability to both teach and be taught.
Okay, myself, i’m in robotics a basic high school club/sport to help me in my future career, my thought is if we make nanotech that works so well. can we adapt it to the mind and instead of say spending 8 hours at the computer typing away we could just do it with our minds? kinda like moving your cursor to move a window but your cursor would be your hand and the window would be on a wall in holographic form. is that even possible with nanotechnology?
This kind of stuff is already being worked on. I would not hold you breath though, but I have been surprised before. The thing I am thinking will really change the world is when search becomes organic or nanotechnology based. Imagine only having to think about something and having immediate access to all available information internally instead of on a screen. Kind of scary, but it will really change the world when everyone can have instant access to all knowledge. It will of course require a human brain to process it, but still….