#bci

waynerad@diasp.org

"Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a human for the first time."

The article doesn't say anything else, though. There's nothing on the Neuralink website. The rest of the article is about clues from Neuralink's "first-in-human clinical trial" open call for recruitment.

"The identity of Neuralink's first human trial subject hasn't been made public. However, the company's call for volunteers stipulates that trial participants must be within the U.S., over 18, and have a disability. Specifically, Neuralink is interested in implanting brain chips in people with 'quadriplegia, paraplegia, vision loss, hearing loss, the inability to speak, and/or major limb amputation (affecting above or below the elbow and/or above or below the knee).'"

"For its first human trial, Neuralink sought volunteers who have quadriplegia caused by a cervical spinal cord injury, or who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)."

Elon Musk's Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a human for the first time

#solidstatelife #neuroscience #bci #neuralink

danie10@squeet.me

BCI (brain-computer interface) lets completely “locked-in” man communicate with his son, ask for a beer

Bild/Foto
A 36-year-old German man in a completely locked-in state was outfitted with a novel brain-computer interface (BCI) system that relies on auditory feedback. The man learned to alter his brain activity in response to that auditory feedback to compose simple messages. He used this ability to ask for a beer, for his caretakers to play his favourite rock band, and to communicate with his young son, according to a recent paper published in Nature Communications.

BCIs interact with brain cells, recording the electrical activity of neurons and translating those signals into action. Such systems generally involve electrode sensors to record neuronal activity, a chipset to transmit the signals, and computer algorithms to translate the signals. BCIs can be external, similar to medical EEGs in that the electrodes are placed onto the scalp or forehead with a wearable cap, or they can be implanted directly into the brain. The former method is less invasive but can be less accurate because more noise interferes with the signals; the latter requires brain surgery, which can be risky. But for many paralysed or locked-in patients, it’s an acceptable risk.

See https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/bci-lets-completely-locked-in-man-communicate-with-his-son-ask-for-a-beer/

#technology #BCI #health #medical
#Blog, ##bci, ##health, ##medical, ##technology

tresronours@parlote.facil.services

Where’s my jetpack? It was at MARS conference, along with Jeff Bezos and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy

A robotics presentation plays out at Amazon’s MARS 2022 conference. (Andy Jassy via Twitter)

Billionaire Jeff Bezos missed out on his usual chauffeuring duties at the West Texas launch orchestrated today by his Blue Origin space venture, but he had a good excuse: He was presiding over Amazon’s MARS 2022, an invitation-only conference held this week in California.

His successor as Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, was there as well.

The hush-hush MARS conference had its first annual run back in 2016, and spawned a public event called re:MARS in 2019. The acronym stands for Machine learning,** A*utomation, **Robotics and **S*pace — and it also evokes Bezos’ long-term goal of having millions of people living and working in space.

MARS is an opportunity for the compu-cognoscenti to rub elbows (but our invitation must have gotten lost in the mail … again). It’s also a photo opportunity for Bezos: Who can forget the shots of “Buff Bezos” striding alongside a robo-dog, or Bezos at the controls of a giant robot, or trying out a hexacopter?

The 2020 and 2021 conferences had to be called off due to the coronavirus pandemic, but based on the tweets and Instagram posts emanating from this year’s site in Ojai, Calif., MARS was back in full force in 2022. Here’s a sampling:

[

View this post on Instagram

](https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cbt3qGjFHhD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

[

A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos)

](https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cbt3qGjFHhD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

Rain outside not dampening Amazon

[

#MARS2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MARS2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

… some of brightest minds in machine learning, automation, robotics and space. Feel lucky to be surrounded by so many brilliant and accomplished people working on next generation of disruptive inventions.

[

pic.twitter.com/2zjwxrF5WV

](https://t.co/2zjwxrF5WV)

— Andy Jassy (@ajassy)

[

March 28, 2022

](https://twitter.com/ajassy/status/1508497333872312323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Mind blowing frontier tech on display at

[

#MARS2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MARS2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

. Jeff Bezos showed himself to be a kind person, genuinely driven to carry forward humanity.

[

#neurotech

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/neurotech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

and

[

#BCI

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

were recognised as entering a golden age, with an overwhelming response to

[

@synchroninc

](https://twitter.com/synchroninc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

tech. Steaming forward now ❤️

[

pic.twitter.com/1iwlC7QSSJ

](https://t.co/1iwlC7QSSJ)

— Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl)

[

March 30, 2022

](https://twitter.com/tomoxl/status/1509274556963336192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Only at

[

#Mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Richard Browning entrance: Reimagining human flight!

[

pic.twitter.com/sRMQ8K0Ujk

](https://t.co/sRMQ8K0Ujk)

— Joyce Sidopoulos (@Joyce4girls)

[

March 29, 2022

](https://twitter.com/Joyce4girls/status/1508883885827915776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Making lots of new friends at

[

#mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[

pic.twitter.com/NfOGu6gDuy

](https://t.co/NfOGu6gDuy)

— Sara Imari Walker (@Sara_Imari)

[

March 29, 2022

](https://twitter.com/Sara_Imari/status/1508909896753827841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

What an honor to meet

[

@jeweljk

](https://twitter.com/jeweljk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

at

[

#mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

thank you for moving our hearts and minds!

[

https://t.co/apLospoFIJ

](https://t.co/apLospoFIJ)

[

pic.twitter.com/5ZxI9q2clC

](https://t.co/5ZxI9q2clC)

— Dava Newman (@DavaExplorer)

[

March 29, 2022

](https://twitter.com/DavaExplorer/status/1508657001793945611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Only at MARS are the animals robots. I think myself and everyone else just passed the Turing Test.

[

#Mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[

pic.twitter.com/Ce0frpGOvJ

](https://t.co/Ce0frpGOvJ)

— Jason Dunn (@ImJasonDunn)

[

March 30, 2022

](https://twitter.com/ImJasonDunn/status/1508982430375428098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

We closed out the event last night

[

https://t.co/f2lWQblAKu

](https://t.co/f2lWQblAKu)

right after

[

@jeweljk

](https://twitter.com/jeweljk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

. Here's a new take on 'live streaming": streaming ionized noble gases. Pic: Dr Megavolt seated with his Noble Gas Light Saber. Look! Ionized neon gas travels down the line …

[

@drmegavolt1

](https://twitter.com/DrMegaVolt1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[

#Mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[

pic.twitter.com/Hobpdpki7o

](https://t.co/Hobpdpki7o)

— victoria charters (@vcharters)

[

March 31, 2022

](https://twitter.com/vcharters/status/1509370434340356096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[

#Mars2022

](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

– the finale – Thank you Dr MegaVolt

[

https://t.co/dBqzoRA3wk

](https://t.co/dBqzoRA3wk)

for the show

[

pic.twitter.com/WJvISfCws6

](https://t.co/WJvISfCws6)

— Joyce Sidopoulos (@Joyce4girls)

[

March 31, 2022

](https://twitter.com/Joyce4girls/status/1509390473642885120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
posted by pod_feeder

danie10@squeet.me

Brain-Computer Interface Turns Thoughts to Text – Allowing a paralyzed man to imagine writing and have the words translated to text

Dating from May 2021, researchers used an experimental device to tap into surgically implanted electrodes, capturing activity in the region of the brain responsible for physical movement. When the quadriplegic patient envisioned writing individual characters by hand, words flew across the screen. The text was highly accurate (95 percent) and arrived faster (90 characters per minute) than any other BCI, coming in at around the same speed performed by similarly aged people typing on their smartphones.

Led by Frank Willett, a research scientist with the Braingate research consortium, the new system doubles the speed of previous thought-to-text BCI tools, which had subjects look at a screen and mentally “point and click” — as if using a cursor — rather than simply imagining writing the letter.

See https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/brain-computer-interface-turns-thoughts-to-text

#technology #brain #bci #disability
#Blog, ##bci, ##disability, ##technology

danie10@squeet.me

Brain-Computer Interface Turns Thoughts to Text – Allowing a paralyzed man to imagine writing and have the words translated to text

Brain Computer Interface
Dating from May 2021, researchers used an experimental device to tap into surgically implanted electrodes, capturing activity in the region of the brain responsible for physical movement. When the quadriplegic patient envisioned writing individual characters by hand, words flew across the screen. The text was highly accurate (95 percent) and arrived faster (90 characters per minute) than any other BCI, coming in at around the same speed performed by similarly aged people typing on their smartphones.

Led by Frank Willett, a research scientist with the Braingate research consortium, the new system doubles the speed of previous thought-to-text BCI tools, which had subjects look at a screen and mentally “point and click” — as if using a cursor — rather than simply imagining writing the letter.

See https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/brain-computer-interface-turns-thoughts-to-text

#technology #brain #bci #disability
Bild/Foto
featured_image=Bild/Foto
#Blog, ##bci, ##disability, ##technology

aktionfsa@diasp.eu

05.01.2022 Gefahren durch Hirn-Computer-Schnittstellen

Müssen wir doch zu Maschinenstürmern werden?

Bisher hatten wir im Rahmen des Themas "Zwangsdigitalisierung" stets betont, dass nicht die technische Entwicklung das Problem darstellt, sondern wir "nur" deren Anwendung durch Überwachungsgesetze des Staates oder Profitinteressen der Internetgiganten kritisieren.

Bei den "Erfolgen" der Entwicklung von Hirn-Computer-Schnittstellen, englisch Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BCI) ist jedoch mehr als Skepsis angebracht. Sicher wird für einen Gelähmten ein Wunsch in Erfüllung gehen, wenn er mit seinen Hirnströmen Roboterarme oder -beine bewegen kann. Ob mit seinen Gehirnaktivitäten - seinen innersten Empfindungen und Reaktionen - noch sonst irgendetwas gemacht wird, kann er aber nie wissen.

Lassen wir diese Einzelfälle erst einmal beiseite, sie sollten von Ethikern, Gehirnspezialisten und Programmierern eingehend untersucht und diskutiert werden. Wenden wir uns lieber den "alltäglichen" Anwendungen zu. Es beginnt bereits im Alltag bei den Smart Watches, die unsere Körperfunktionen (Puls, Blutdruck, Schweiß, Temperatur) messen - und uns nett darstellen - und diese Daten nebenbei mit unserer Krankenkasse, dem Arbeitgeber und wer-weiß-wem-sonst-noch teilen.

Mit einem echten BCI kann man aber noch viel mehr. Wie Heise berichtet, könnnen Forscher die PINs Fremder über deren Gehirnaktivitäten erraten oder Affen eine Art "Mind Pong" spielen lassen. Als nächstes geht es in die Feldtests und dann kommen die praktische Anwendungen in den Bereichen Medizin, Virtual Reality und Gaming. Verfügbar sind bereits Headsets zur Messung der elektrischen Aktivität des Gehirns, also eine Elektroenzephalographie (EEG)-Schnittstelle. Damit kann "das System" erkennen, ob der Spieler - oder Arbeitnehmer - sich langweile, konzentriert oder überfordert sei. Nach Ansicht der Befürworter kann die Technik am Arbeitsplatz helfen, Stresszustände zu vermeiden und die Konzentration zu optimieren.

Kritiker warnen jedoch, wie Heise schreibt: BCI seien prinzipiell geeignet, um Personen zu manipulieren, ihre Identität zu verändern und möglicherweise in den Wahnsinn zu treiben. Schädliche Apps könnten über Programmierschnittstellen Messwerte und damit besonders sensible persönliche Daten von Headsets abgreifen.

Erinnern wir an das vom Bundesverfassungsgericht definierte IT-Grundrecht zur Vertraulichkeit und Integrität von Computern, so wächst dieses Grundrecht ins Unendliche, wenn es um den Zugriff auf unser Gehirn geht. Rechtlich und ethisch liegt hier eine Menge Arbeit, die bewältigt sein muss, bevor solche Schnittstellen erlaubt werden dürfen.

Update: Auch Elon Musk arbeitet mit seinem Startup Neuralink an BCI-Implantaten ...

Mehr dazu bei https://www.heise.de/news/Cyberpunk-Revisited-Warnung-vor-unkontrollierten-Hirn-Computer-Schnittstellen-6315132.html
Link zu dieser Seite: https://www.aktion-freiheitstattangst.org/de/articles/7884-20220105-gefahren-durch-hirn-computer-schnittstellen.htm
Link im Tor-Netzwerk: http://a6pdp5vmmw4zm5tifrc3qo2pyz7mvnk4zzimpesnckvzinubzmioddad.onion/de/articles/7884-20220105-gefahren-durch-hirn-computer-schnittstellen.htm
Tags: #Hirn-Computer-Schnittstellen #Brain-Computer-Interfaces #BCI #EEG #Lauschangriff #Überwachung #Transparenz #Informationsfreiheit #SmartWatches #Roboter #Ethik #BVerfG #Verhaltensänderung #Arbeitnehmerdatenschutz #Verbraucherdatenschutz