Mind over Body – The End of Disabilities

The idea of brain-controlled prosthetics popped up in the news recently when a paralyzed man and a monkey were able to move robotic arms using their minds.

For the past several years scientists and physicians have been working on intelligent prosthetics that connect with the brain and provide movement that is very similar to natural human biology. Here are a couple of ways that medicine and science are converging to improve the future for the disabled.

(Otto Bock - Neurally Controlled Prosthesis)

1. Mind Controlled Prosthetics. In May 2010 the first “mind controlled prosthetic for everyday life” was presented by Otto Bock. It was first tested on an Austrian man in 2008 who had lost both arms. The mind controlled prosthetics gave him back the ability to drive independently. New developments will allow for a greater range of motion as well as finer movements and the ability to feel things through the use of microsensors that would convert feelings to nerve impulses. In September DARPA announced that it would be developing a fully functional prosthetic that responds to direct neural control. DARPA’s research will be conducted in clinical trials over the next two years, and their goal is to create a seamless mind to body prosthetic which could be on the market in four years.
2. Ending Mental Disease. Emotiv’s headset measures brain activity. Originally intended for video gaming, this headset may also be able to offer insight into how people affected by mental disorders think and focus, as per the study being conducted at the University of Hertfordshire. Their goal is to help those affected by mental disorders learn and interact with their environment – helping them get past their disabilities. Along these lines, neural implants also offer hope of bypassing damaged brain tissue by using chips to control motor function.

Mind control technologies will change the way that prosthetics and other disability treatments are created, as long as they are proven safe for human systems. While questions linger about a host of religious, legal, and ethical issues which haven’t been addressed here, there’s no doubt that these technologies will provide a better life for people with disabilities in the near future.

Once these technologies are readily available, how long will it be before people replace their original limbs for bionic ones?

originally posted at The Trend and Foresight Blog by Mike Vidikan and Elizabeth Cook.