Neuroprosthetics and Johnny Mnemonic Potentials

Henry Markram, head of the Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry has said that: “There are three fundamental obstacles to developing reliable neuroprosthetics: 1) stable interfacing of electromechanical devices with neural tissue, 2) understanding how to stimulate the neural tissue, and 3) understanding what signals to record from the neurons in order for the device to make an automatic and appropriate decision to stimulate.

It’s years ahead of Johnny Mnemonic’s hardwired hard drive. But there was something in that film that might be overlooked by some neuroscientists. The fact of an external stimulation to activate the neuroprosthetics. It’s been almost 14 years since the Ice T and Keanu Reeves teamed up to discover and save the abused dolphin.

Which is another factor that seems to be a good prospecting idea for neuroprosthetics. Start testing on similar evolutionary species to ourselves, such as apes and monkeys, or those creatures of the earth that have similar mental capacities. Think of the possibilities. An elephant with an enhanced external sensory drive that adds even more dimensions to its cognitive experience.

I know there are those that these thoughts would infuriate and cause for skepticism. And I agree. Yet the ideas are fun to play with and run a few thought experiments on. It’s what keeps me on my toes in the morning.