A breakthrough in biotech, prosthesis, and monkeys

They had me at "cyborg monkeys."

In 2011, it was announced that neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis and his team developed a two-way interface between the minds of monkeys and machines.  Computer algorithms were able to interpret electrical impulses from neurons and move mechanical limbs. 

Now, biotech scientists have trained monkeys to move not one but two virtual limbs by thoughts alone.  As reported in the article:

 "The researchers think that in the future, the process of controlling two avatar arms with the mind could be translated to controlling two prosthetic arms. However, this goal may not be reached any time soon, as the movements the monkeys achieved were quite simple. "It still remains to be tested how well BMIs [Brain Machine Interfaces] would control motor activities requiring precise interlimb coordination," they write in their [the research team's] paper."

This bodes very well for the future of bionic humans.  I'm in the process of cleaning the place for Thanksgiving so I don't have a lot of time, however I plan to read much more about this in the coming days.

Just watch the gelt pile up once this thing is marketable.


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