1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve cameray. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff Works dot com. Hello again, everyone, 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. My name is Chris Pellette, 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: and I am an editor here at How Stuff Works 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: and sitting next to me as usual as senior writer 7 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. Come with me if you want to live. 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,599 Speaker 1: Oh no, you went there, did you? I did? Already 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: We're gonna We're gonna talk about cyborgs. And first of all, 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: I would like to apologize to the anonymous listener out 11 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: there who sent me the request that we do an 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: episode about cyborgs. I did a search because I know 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: I had seen it, but does searching my email could 14 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: not find that request. So to whomever it was that 15 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: sent that request, I apologize, but hopefully you'll enjoy what 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: we have to tell you. All right, then, so where 17 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: should we start. Let's let's start by defining what a 18 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: cyborg is. That's good because the first thing I had 19 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: was the definition from Miriam Webster, which was, uh, a 20 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: cyborg is a bionic human, which really didn't tell me anything. 21 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: So I had to look up bionic, because I figured 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: that would give me a clue, And they do say 23 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: that bionic means quote having normal biological capability or performance 24 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: enhanced by or as if by electronic or electro mechanical 25 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: devices end quote, So basically a biological person who is 26 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: enhanced in some way by technology. Interesting. When I did 27 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: a search for a good definition of cyborg, the first 28 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: thing I got was cybernetic organism, which, like your definition, 29 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: does not help you out a whole lot um. However, 30 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: cybernetics is a study of human control functions and a 31 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: mechanical and electronic systems is designed to replace them, involving 32 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: the application of statistical mechanics to communication engineering. So really 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: cybernetics is more and just just computers or computing systems. 34 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: It's also biology, um, neuroscience, that kind of thing. Also, 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: if you're curious as to where the words cybernetics comes from, 36 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 1: it has a Greek origin meaning terminator. No, I'm sorry, 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: it means helmsman or steersman, so someone someone who who 38 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: pilots a ship. Okay, then you know it's funny because 39 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: you're all terminator. But when I started thinking of cyborgs, 40 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: I was thinking more along lines of the six million 41 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: dollar man or the bionic woman. Right, well, you know, 42 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: even even neuromanswer clearly, the six million dollar man is 43 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: science fiction because there's no way you'd be able to 44 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: build that sucker for six million dollars. Well this was 45 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,519 Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies, right, Well, that's true. Six million dollars 46 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: then was about thirty trillion dollars. So, um, but somebody's 47 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: gonna write in and go, no, it's not so cybernetics. 48 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: That was a term that was introduced by Norbert Wiener 49 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: or Veener if you prefer. I. Yeah, that appeared in 50 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: So uh, let's talk a little bit about No, is 51 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: cyborg really within just the realm of science fiction or 52 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: is this reality? Well that's a good question. Um. I 53 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: would say it's it's reality, but the reality is not 54 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: nearly is exciting and fun as science fiction makes it seem. 55 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: I think it all depends upon the particular cybernetics application 56 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: you're talking about and the purpose for that application, Because 57 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: for some people, I would say that the cybernetics and 58 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: cyborg studies in particular are incredibly interesting, mainly because a 59 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: lot of people are regaining use of certain senses or 60 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: limbs that they may not otherwise be able to use 61 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: due to cybernetics. So we can talk a little bit. Well, 62 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: how did you want to think talk about this? Um? Well, 63 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: you know, I did a lot of my research on 64 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: a recent article written for the site. You know, will 65 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: we ever be able to communicate with only our minds? Oh? Yeah, 66 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: I'm familiar with that. Yes, well, I mean, um, ladies 67 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,479 Speaker 1: and gentlemen of the podcast, this is something that Jonathan 68 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: wrote about just a few days ago, and as a 69 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: matter of fact, as we are speaking, it hasn't actually 70 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 1: been published on the site, but probably will be by 71 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: the time that you're listening to this. But it's it's 72 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: fascinating because, you know, the idea that we would be 73 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: able to communicate with our minds, you know, the idea 74 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: was tell, you know, telepathic communication, Because it turns out 75 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: it's more like, can you find some kind of technology 76 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: that will help you do that? In the answer is yes, yeah, 77 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: you know, if you're going by the strictest definition, Uh, 78 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: can we communicate with only our minds? The answer is 79 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: really no, because we we do need something in addition 80 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: to our own minds in order to transmit the thought 81 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: to someone else. Um, But we're actually making progress and 82 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: doing that, and it's all because of what we call 83 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: brain computer interfaces, and it's pretty much what sounds like. 84 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: It's an interface that allows you to control or input 85 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: data into a computer using your brain. Most of these 86 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: use e G. S Um that These those are the Yeah, 87 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: the sensors you see that are hooked up to strategic 88 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: points upon your noggin. Uh, They detect the electric impulses 89 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: in your brain and can interpret those impulses. You know, 90 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: we've studied the brain enough to know, hey, when you 91 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: think lift my left arm, this area of your brain 92 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: lights up. When you think lift my right arm, this 93 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: area of the brain lights up. So by doing that, 94 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: even though we don't technically understand all of the mechanics 95 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: behind it, we know enough where we can build a 96 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: computer interface system to kind of take advantage of that. Now, 97 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: this is in its most primitive form. Right now, there's 98 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: really not Uh. We haven't reached a point where you 99 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: can put on you know, your thinking cap to for 100 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: lack of a better word, and have someone else put 101 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: a similar cap on and then you think, hey, I'm hungry, 102 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: would you like to go get some pizza? And then 103 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: the other person receives that thought and can understand it. 104 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: We're not there yet. Uh. The experiment that I wrote 105 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: about within that article was fascinating, but it involved actually 106 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: thinking I want to lift my left arm or I 107 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: want to lift my right arm. The computer would receive 108 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: the electric electric signals that were zapping around in the 109 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: subject's brain and could interpret that. And so if you 110 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't don't have the article in front 111 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: of me, but I think left arm was a zero 112 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: and right arm was a one. So if the subject 113 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: thought I'm going to lift my left arm, the computer 114 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: interpreted it as a zero. If the subject thought I'm 115 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: going to lift my right arm, the computer interpreted as 116 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: a one. The computer then sent this series of zeros 117 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: and ones to a second machine that was in a 118 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: remote location, and that would interpret it as you know, 119 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: it would get a zero or one. It would then 120 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: send a series of signals to a a lamp, an 121 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: led lamp, which would flash in a very very fast 122 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: series of flashes depending on whether it was a zero 123 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: or a one. It was two different series, but it 124 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: was such almost random looking and quick series of flashes 125 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: that humans wouldn't be able to say, oh that was 126 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: zero or that was a one. They would just see, oh, 127 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: there's a lot of flashes. That was a different, slightly 128 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: different set of flashes. Um, well, the brain is enough, 129 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: can can actually record you know what the different series 130 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: of flashes are. You're not conscious of it, but your 131 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: your brain is picking it up. And by wearing by 132 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: the subject be wearing an e G setup uh, the 133 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: e G would detect the signals in the brain that said, hey, 134 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: this is the series of flashes that lit up. That 135 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: means that it was a zero, or that means it 136 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: was a one. And so without using any kind of 137 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: keyboard or anything, subject one could send a series of 138 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: zeros and ones to subject to or subject and b 139 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: I think is what I said originally, Um and uh, 140 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 1: and you and the subject you would receive them. Now 141 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: you're not again you You would need a separate, a 142 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: third computer really to interpret those brain signals so that 143 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: subject being knows what kind of message they got. It 144 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: would almost be like if I wrote to you using 145 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: a language that you weren't familiar with. You could read it, 146 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: but you have no idea what the meaning is. You 147 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: should have to have something translated. So we're not quite 148 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: to the point yet where we can send an actual 149 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: thought and have someone consciously understand it. But the progress 150 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: has been remarkable. Yeah. Yeah, Actually in another um, not 151 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 1: exactly similar, vein, but I read an article in in 152 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,679 Speaker 1: Wired magazine by Clive Thompson, uh, and it's it was 153 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: about what he was calling the cyborg advantage. And this 154 00:08:57,480 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: makes it. This is kind of you know, the title's 155 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: waiste here than the content, but it's about chess actually, 156 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: and um, you remember Gary Kasparov, who who you know, 157 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: beat and then lost to uh the IBM computer deep Blue. Yes, yes, 158 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 1: he he won I think in ninety six and then 159 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: in a rematch in nineties seven lost in a series 160 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: of six games. Well, according to Thompson's article, he's been 161 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:29,079 Speaker 1: working on a situation in which he pairs computers and 162 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:35,080 Speaker 1: humans because basically the humans know how to make sense 163 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: of the computer decision. So it's like playing chess with 164 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,559 Speaker 1: the laptop and you you, um, you make the laptop 165 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: your partner and you say, okay, well you know the 166 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: other the other player just made this move. What do 167 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:48,559 Speaker 1: you think computer? The computer says, the logical move is 168 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: to do this, and the human can either accept that 169 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 1: decision and play that piece or say, you know what, 170 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: I have the feeling he's up to something and I'm 171 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: gonna I'm not gonna make move. I'm gonna make this move. 172 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: And so he uh, you know, the the other player 173 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: is able to you know, make a decision based on 174 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: the computer intelligence. It's sort of like it actually kind 175 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: of reminded me of meteorologists going, well, you know the 176 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: computer models say, um, but basically there was a there 177 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: was a two thousand five tournament in which basically anything went. 178 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: So it was possible to participate in this tournament as 179 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: a computer human pairing and uh, there were a couple 180 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 1: of twenties somethings with and off the shelf PC essentially 181 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: who did better than the really you know, like the 182 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: grand masters of chess or you know, the heavy duty 183 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: computer models. So basically that the two of them were 184 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: stronger than a computer or a really talented chess player. UM. 185 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: So you know, I don't know how scientific that is, 186 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: but it's it's an interesting thought to think, you know, 187 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: maybe the augmentation of a human with computer technology, uh, 188 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: you know, as a nice balance in between the too. 189 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 1: That's actually, uh, that reminds me a lot of what 190 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: Professor Kevin Warwick talks about in his in his various 191 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: papers and and experiments that he's performed. Um. He's a 192 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: professor at the Cybernetics Institute at the University of Reading 193 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 1: in the UK, and you mentioned him in your article, 194 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: right and Warwick, Um, he's actually he was known for 195 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: doing some things that some people have kind of called stunts, 196 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: but he was sort of using them as a way 197 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: of a proof of concept form for a cybernetics cyborg future. UH. 198 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: Back in he did this experiment where he had a 199 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: doctor implant a essentially in UH an r f i 200 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: D chip in him and UH the chip would allow 201 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: him to walk through the laboratory and do things like 202 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: open doors and turn on lights and whatever without without 203 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: actually having to move a muscle because it just detected 204 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 1: the chip and then the system reacted. Now, this really 205 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: has limited use when you think about it. I mean, 206 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: the risks you're taking by having something implanted in your 207 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: body just to turn on lights, that seems like that's 208 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: not really a good use of your time. I mean, 209 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: most of us can achieve this by carrying around a 210 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: little card has a chip in it that doesn't require surgery. 211 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: True but he was doing this as a proof of concept, 212 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: and um, I don't think it's still in him. I 213 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,080 Speaker 1: think he's I think in every single case he's had 214 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:30,960 Speaker 1: the various things removed after the experiment was over. Also, 215 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 1: just aside benefit of that, if he runs away from home, 216 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: they'll be able to track him down. Yeah. So in 217 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: two thousand two, he had a one electrode array surgically 218 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 1: implanted into his um left arm, and this allowed him 219 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:50,079 Speaker 1: to plug it into a kind of look like this, 220 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: this plastic collar almost that would that would close around 221 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: his arm. Um. It looked very much like a sort 222 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: of Star Trek kind of device, and uh, some wires 223 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: would attach to the the color plastic color around his arm, 224 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: and he would be able to do things like control 225 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: robotic hands remotely. And what was happening was that, you know, 226 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: your nervous system works through electrical impulses, like we're talking 227 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: about in the brain, Well, the same is true all 228 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: throughout your nervous system. So you you are a walking 229 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: electrical being, um, at least as far as your nervous 230 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: system is concerned. So by pairing these electrodes with the 231 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,319 Speaker 1: nerve endings in his arm, he was able to send 232 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: electric signals through his nervous system, which the the computer 233 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: could interpret as, oh, this means open the robotic hand, 234 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: this means closed the robotic hand. And to keep it simple, 235 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 1: they pretty much kept it the same as opening and 236 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: closing his own hand. Um, but that meant that it 237 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: showed that you could control various mechanical devices through your 238 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 1: own nervous system. Now, granted, this is not a brain 239 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: computer interface. This is this is her computer interface, right, 240 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: So yeah, it seems like that would be much simpler 241 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,160 Speaker 1: to organize compared to a brain computer interface. It as 242 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: much simpler. However, it's still incredibly complicated, and of course 243 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: you have lots of things to worry about. I mean two, 244 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 1: whenever you're surgically implanting foreign materials into a human body, 245 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: there are a lot of different things you have to 246 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: worry about, like infection, rejection, that kind of thing. I 247 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: have to worry about rejection every day in my life. 248 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: Uh at any rate, So that's a sidebar. The He 249 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: then went on to have another interesting experiment where his 250 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: wife had a similar, slightly more primitive implant and put 251 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: into her arm and then the two were connected. Yeah, 252 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: I wonder how he talked her into that. Um, I 253 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: don't know. I can never talk my wife into doing 254 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: something like that. She'd be like, yeah, whatever, um. But 255 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: but at any rate, the way the the connection worked 256 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: was that whenever his wife opened or closed her hand, 257 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: he would get an impulse through his nervous system and 258 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: would he said, feel a pulse. He did not really 259 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: define how it felt, so I'm really curious to as 260 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: to what kind of sensation is he talking about, Like, 261 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: how did he perceive? I know that he did perceive, 262 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: or at least he claims to have perceived his wife 263 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: opening and closing her hand, And that seems like it's 264 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: an easy enough thing to test. You know, you could 265 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: keep them both separate and as long as the connection 266 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: was good, um, you know, just have him indicate whenever 267 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: she opened or closed her hand, and if it matched up, 268 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: then you know, all right, there's something there. But he 269 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: did not go into how what it felt like, So 270 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: I don't know what his actual perception was. But this 271 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: was another way of saying, hey, you know, maybe we'll 272 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: get to a point where again we'll be able to communicate. 273 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: Actually they could theoretically, at least she could communicate to 274 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: him remotely just through morse code opening and closing her hand. 275 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: But yeah, maybe that's is good robust enough. Yeah, yeah, 276 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: And I don't know how good that connection was, like 277 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: how far away they could be from each other, or 278 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: if it was through the Internet connection or anything like that. 279 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: That I got the least amount of information about that 280 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: particular experiment. But Warwick's point is that cybernetics can give 281 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: us a lot of enhanced abilities that we otherwise would 282 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: never have access to. So not just the ability to 283 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: communicate remotely, which is phenomenal, but imagine being able to 284 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 1: tap into the network of information on the Internet through 285 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: your brain. Yeah. That that again sort of reminds me 286 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: of like the matrix and neuromancer, where you know, you 287 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: plug something in and suddenly you have access to all 288 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: this information neither stored well in those cases, more like 289 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: like an e book where you can you know, just 290 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: have access to that without being connected to the Internet. 291 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: Now what's interesting here is you would you would remember things. 292 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: It's like memory, right, Like you would be able to say, huh, 293 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: when was you know, uh, when was the Magna Carta signed? 294 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: And then you access the Internet through your brain and like, 295 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,159 Speaker 1: oh it's twelve fifteen. But no, that's not it's a 296 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: three oh oh the year got it? King John Magna 297 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 1: Carta work with me here. So um. But but yes, 298 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: you could. You could recall facts, but you wouldn't necessarily 299 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: be smarter. You would just remember a lot more stuff. Right. Well, 300 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: that would sort of be like the chess versus uh, 301 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: you know, the chess situation where the computer is acting 302 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,439 Speaker 1: on logic and it was you know, this is a 303 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: logical move it. You know, in the past many people 304 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: have used this and in the the end result was 305 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: a win. But two percent of the time that people 306 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 1: use this move, they went on to win the match. Yeah, exactly. 307 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: And and you know the human is using intuition and 308 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: is able to use human intelligence to make sense of 309 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: that information. So you know, having the opportunity to use 310 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: that information from you know, downloaded online. But you're right, 311 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: you wouldn't be able to do anything other than just 312 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: simply know the act. You might win a lot of 313 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:03,880 Speaker 1: Jeopardy games, right, but you wouldn't be able to Let's 314 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 1: say you needed to to look up a particular formula 315 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:14,160 Speaker 1: for some sort of mathematical equation. You might be able 316 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: to find the formula, but that doesn't mean you would 317 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: understand it, right, So there's there's that barrier there. Now, 318 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: that's not to say that there wouldn't be other developments, 319 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,640 Speaker 1: cybernetic developments that would allow you to have much more say, 320 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: processing power in your brain as well, where maybe you 321 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: don't have to understand it. You've got the computer working there, 322 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: which Warwick's point was that frees up your brain to 323 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,440 Speaker 1: do other things like create poetry or you know, watch 324 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: the Simpsons at any rate. Uh, other ways you could 325 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: enhance it, and not just not just through being able 326 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: to access information, but to sense things that human beings 327 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:53,120 Speaker 1: are unable otherwise to sense, like ultrasonic frequencies or light 328 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: that's outside of the visible spectrum. Right. You know, you 329 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: would be able to maybe create a cybernetic implant that 330 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: would allow you too, uh see X rays, provided of course, 331 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,720 Speaker 1: your eyes are capable of seeing them. Well, again, why 332 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: would it have to be an eye. You could build 333 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: a sensor like let's say that you don't do it 334 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: through your eyes. Let's say that you have a sensor 335 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: placed somewhere else on your body that you know, we 336 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: think of it as seen, but it doesn't necessarily have 337 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: to be seeing that's that's that's Warwicks point is that 338 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: we we already think in such a narrow set of 339 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: parameters that cybernetics really goes blows all that out of 340 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: the water, and suddenly you become this machine or slash 341 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: human that's capable of sensing uh, you know, a significant 342 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 1: more information about your environment and even be able to 343 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 1: interpret it more because you could tap into, say the 344 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: Internet remotely. Now, this this raises a lot of ethical problems. 345 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: I sent us treading closer to the singularity with this conversation. Yeah, 346 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: it does kind of get it definitely goes to that 347 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: same sort of area. But one of the ethical issues 348 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: is who is able to to do this? Should they? 349 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,679 Speaker 1: Should they do it? And if they can do it 350 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: and they want to do it, what does that mean 351 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: for the people who either cannot do it or don't 352 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,880 Speaker 1: want to. Are they left behind? Do we become two 353 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: different species of creatures because you would have the cyborgs 354 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: who would suddenly have access to all this information and 355 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: sensory uh, information that otherwise they wouldn't have, and the 356 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: rest of us would just be bags of meat sees 357 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:32,199 Speaker 1: sneeches without Yeah, so there you go, like, you know, 358 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: these are questions we don't have answers to right. For 359 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 1: one thing, the technology is nowhere near there yet. And uh, 360 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: some might argue that, hey, since we can't do it yet, 361 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: why are we Why are we wasting time worrying about it? 362 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: But my point is it's better to think about these 363 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: things ahead of time before they become a real issue, 364 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,159 Speaker 1: you know. And and and it may turn out that this 365 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: is one of those things where science leaps far ahead 366 00:20:55,440 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: of ethics or the law and it only becomes a problem, 367 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 1: you know, or it becomes a problem and then we 368 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: address it as opposed to let's think about this now 369 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: and trying to address it ahead of time. Um. But 370 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 1: I'm sorry you were about to say, well, no, I 371 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 1: was gonna say that, you know, it hasn't stopped it 372 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: from becoming a reality in other circumstances. Very good. Yeah, 373 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: but there's just not again as as flashy, um, and 374 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,639 Speaker 1: as those experiments that we were we were just discussing, 375 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: I mean things like you know, Barney Clark's first artificial heart, 376 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: you know, that was a technological advancement. Or a pacemaker, 377 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: for example, is an electronic device that is implanted in 378 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: somebody to uh, to help people monitor their heart rhythms 379 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: and make them more regular. Um. Yeah, there's some really 380 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: phenomenal technology that's already in fairly common use out there 381 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: that um that really kind of falls right into this 382 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: cyborg uh category. I mentioned cochlear implants earlier. That's definitely 383 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: something that would fit. So a cochlear implant. That's an 384 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: electronic device, and it's designed to help people who have 385 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: severe hearing loss or who are even deaf um be 386 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: able to perceive sound. Now they're perceiving it differently than 387 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: the way people who have normal hearing would perceive it. 388 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: It's not exactly the same thing. A cochlear implant. It 389 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 1: has a microphone, so that's what's picking up the sound 390 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: from the environment. UM. It usually has a speech processor 391 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: which kind of helps arrange that sound to to help 392 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,639 Speaker 1: the listener makes sense of it. Um. And then the 393 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: transmitter sends signals to an electrode array, which sends the 394 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: impulses to various regions on the auditory nerves. So you're 395 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: getting the signals sent directly to the auditory nerve. It's 396 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,199 Speaker 1: not passing through the regular organs of the ear, you know. 397 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: And uh so people who have cochlear implants can actually 398 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 1: perceive sound. Again, it's not exactly the same kind of 399 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: sound that we perceive, but with training, they can completely 400 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: hear and be able to hold conversations and uh, differentiate 401 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,639 Speaker 1: different sounds. It's just it's it's almost impossible to really, like, 402 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: I can't I can't compare the two because clearly, I mean, 403 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: I just have normal hearing. I don't have a cochlear implant, 404 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: so I couldn't tell you what the differences are, like, 405 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,439 Speaker 1: I couldn't give you any kind of meaningful description between 406 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: the two. But it is it is a common well 407 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: not common might not be the right word, but it 408 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: is in use. It is not uncommon. Yeah, it's not. 409 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,159 Speaker 1: It's not like there's only three people walking around experimentally. 410 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: I mean, there are thousands of these um and it's 411 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,919 Speaker 1: really revolutionized that, you know, the way we treat people 412 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: who have severe hearing loss. But it's not like people 413 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: are walking around like Victor Stone from the Teen Titans, 414 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:43,159 Speaker 1: otherwise known as Cyborg, who has you know, detachable hands 415 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: that you can refit with lasers to fight bad guys 416 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: with no cucklear implants don't do that. Well, no, I'm 417 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: just saying it's not flashy or showy or something like 418 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,239 Speaker 1: that where you have a lot of that going on. Well, 419 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 1: and then there's um, did you read up on bionic eyes? 420 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:01,120 Speaker 1: Bionic eyes? Yea, cybernetic eyes. Actually, well, I mean six 421 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: million million dollar man in one right, Uh, this is 422 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:07,479 Speaker 1: not as flashy as that. I exactly. So the current 423 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: the current state of the cybernetic eye, it's it's still 424 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: really fascinating, but it's one of those things where when 425 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: you hear the term, you immediately kind of imagine what 426 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: it must be like, and chances are your imagination is 427 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: already jumping leaps into bounds of of beyond technology. Yes, 428 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: exactly so, currently the state of cybernetic eyes. It's usually 429 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: a system that involves a pair of glasses that the 430 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:34,400 Speaker 1: side impaired person wears, and there are cameras mounted onto 431 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: the glasses. The cameras are the one things that are 432 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: picking up the images, uh, sending signals to UM a transmitter, 433 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 1: which then transmits it to a an implant. UM. There's 434 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: actually an implant that is surgically attached to the rear 435 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: of the retina and that sends the signals to the 436 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: the visual cortex of the brain. So you're basically bypassing 437 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 1: your biological eyes. Yeah, you're using the eye as a lens, 438 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: but that's about it. No, well, no you're not. You're 439 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,640 Speaker 1: using the cameras a lens, but the eye. Yes, you're 440 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: the you're essentially saying, okay, well the eyes are not 441 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: working the way they should. You've got the the kind 442 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 1: of a bionic retina attached to the back of the eye. 443 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: So yes, you are bypassing the normal um, the normal eyes, 444 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 1: and you don't really get an image the way we 445 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,040 Speaker 1: think of images. You get a difference of light or dark, 446 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:36,120 Speaker 1: and it's made up of just a few dozen pixels. 447 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: So really it's good for detecting light environments, dark environments, 448 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: and motion. Um, you don't really have a lot there 449 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 1: to to really be able to recognize actual shapes, or 450 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,440 Speaker 1: at least not not really distinctly. I mean, with training, 451 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: people who have these have been able to recognize certain shapes, 452 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,399 Speaker 1: but it takes a while because it is it's not 453 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: a very high resolution picture. In fact, it's abouts low 454 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:06,719 Speaker 1: resolutions you can imagine. But the the hope is that 455 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,200 Speaker 1: maybe in the future you would be able to develop this. 456 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: Not you, Chris, because you've got other things to do, 457 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: but that scientists would be able to develop this to 458 00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: the point where people who were using them would be 459 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: able to recognize faces or perhaps even read large print books. Um, 460 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: we're well away from that right now. But but there's 461 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: a lot of work going into it, and it also 462 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 1: sounds a little bit like some of the work that 463 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 1: Dean Cayman has been doing, right, Like we talked about it. 464 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,360 Speaker 1: Of course, we talked about that in the previous podcast, 465 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 1: right that was last year. Yeah, we talked about that 466 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: was a focus on Cayman. We haven't done a focus 467 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: on a very long time. Yeah, I love to do 468 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,920 Speaker 1: that at some point. But he's been working with UH 469 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: with cybernetics and and uh ways to create artificial limbs 470 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: that are basically respond to uh, you know, nerve impulses 471 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: and and get people to move. And he's been very 472 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: successful as far as designing the limbs and and having 473 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,080 Speaker 1: them be uh, you know, a good weight and have 474 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: a lot of articulation, less successful with the nerve interface. 475 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: He's been using other interfaces in the meantime while while 476 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: there the scientists have been trying to perfect the nerve 477 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: device interface. So things like you know, foot pedals that 478 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: are in that you wear in your shoes, and you 479 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 1: use your toes to actually, you know, control the arm. Interesting, 480 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,679 Speaker 1: so you can make the wrist turn or or the 481 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: fist open or close just by moving your toes a 482 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: certain way. Um. But yeah, the goal, of course is 483 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:39,960 Speaker 1: that eventually you would be able to implant uh wires 484 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 1: within the nervous system and be able to control the 485 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 1: arm without having to use some other like extra control system. Now, 486 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: there are a lot of other issues that I think 487 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: of when it comes to cybernetics and cyborgs. It's not 488 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,919 Speaker 1: just you know, should we do it. I think of 489 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: things like my electronics tends to right down. I would 490 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: hate for my eye to stop working. Well, I mean, 491 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 1: but for a lot of people it does. I mean 492 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 1: biologically it can. And you might even argue that, hey, Jonathan, 493 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: if your eyes were mechanical, you could have them fixed, 494 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 1: whereas when they're biological that may not be an option. 495 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: And yeah, you got you got a good argument there. 496 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,840 Speaker 1: I'm just saying I don't want to be like, you know, 497 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:30,160 Speaker 1: piloting my flying car while I get the blue screen 498 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: of death over both eyes. Now, I'm not saying that 499 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,120 Speaker 1: my eyes would necessarily be running Windows twelve, but who knows. 500 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: It's an interesting thought though, well, and I mean I 501 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: do there are other things you gotta worry about. Like 502 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,520 Speaker 1: I said, though, with the just the whole introducing any 503 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 1: kind of foreign object into the body, there are all 504 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: these concerns you have to have the go beyond just 505 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: the ethical implications. I mean they're actual, like you know, 506 00:28:56,240 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: biological health implications as well, but un and all the 507 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: lead that would be in the soldering for that, right. Yeah, anyway, Well, 508 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: moving on then, I think I think this was a 509 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: good discussion about cyborgs. So yeah, I think we're on 510 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: our way to seeing at least a variation of the 511 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: cyborg and science fiction become a reality. It may not 512 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 1: be quite as sexy as the Terminator, No, probably not, 513 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: at least not in the short run. No, but you 514 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: know Skynet's coming, so don't worry guys. Well, I guess 515 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,240 Speaker 1: that's pretty much wraps up this discussion. If any of 516 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: you have any comments, questions, suggestions, things like that, you 517 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: can write us. Our email address is tech stuff at 518 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and we have articles on 519 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: the website right now that cover things from bionic eyes 520 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: to cochlear implants, and being able to communicate telepathically with 521 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: the use of computers. Hopefully that'll be up by the 522 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: time this this episode goes live, so you should check 523 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 1: that out. Remember that's how stuff Works dot com and 524 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 1: Chris and I will talk to you again really soon. 525 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,640 Speaker 1: For moralness and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff 526 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: Works dot com and be sure to check out the 527 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 1: new tech stuff blog now on the house Stuff Works homepage, 528 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 1: brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 529 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: It's ready, are you