Last March I had the opportunity to visit the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. This was done in conjunction with my colleagues at the University of Utah. I was given a white paper describing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the activities of this Federal agency. It was interesting. One of the projects that caught my imagination was described as a "brain-machine interface."

DARPA is putting out gobs of our federal tax dollars to support high risk technical development. The DARPA paper described how scientists are using thoughts to direct the operation of machines. It sounds like something right out of a Hollywood movie.

I've thought about this brain-machine interface project several times over the last few weeks. Just the other day I found a more detailed story in Technology Review. The article is entitled Mind-Machine Merger and it describes in greater detail the scientists involved in the DARPA "brain-machine interface" project and what is being done. It is fascinating.

Rats and monkeys are able to move crude robotic arms and computer cursors through thought. More work must be done and we are still a long way away from reaching the vision.

A brain-machine interface could be very useful. From a reality standpoint there are several promising applications. One of the practical uses would be in enabling amputees to move artificial limbs. That sounds like a great idea that could improve the lives of many individuals.

But the military wants more. They envision a modern day warfighter with the ability to control high-powered weaponry through thought. This could cut down reaction times by many fold. It would also greatly increase the capacity of the US Military soldier.

Other workers could also benefit from the ability to control machines through thought. Through a bit of imagination I'm sure that you can come up with hundreds of ideas. This technology could be very useful. But how realistic is it?

Early indications show that thoughts can be mapped and used to move objects through a brain-machine interface. The next step is to further develop these capabilities. Apparently, one of the next big challenges is to move the communication the other way. It will be critical for a machine to give the user feedback. Could this be done directly to discreet regions of the brain? That is the big question that must be answered. Project leaders think it will be possible to get that question answered within the next 5 years.

Other questions arise. Is the human mind disciplined enough to control killing machines? What are the benefits? Is this a good thing? Will two people be able to communicate through thoughts? What problems will that cause? Whew. It will be interesting to watch this technology develop.........
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