Author Topic: Breaking News; Hope on the Horizon for the FDBs! (Read 426 times)

milnko · « **on:** March 18, 2002, 08:44:25 PM »

At last there is a slim chance for the FDBs to beat the ASSASSINs in a squad duel

Monkey moves cursor by thinking

March 13, 2002

A monkey with a fingernail-size brain implant moved a cursor on a computer screen just by thinking -- the latest in a series of experiments that have raised hopes that paralyzed people might one day be able to control complex devices with their minds.

While humans have already been implanted with a similar device that allows control of a cursor, the set of thin wires used by the Brown University researchers is less bulky and worked by measuring fewer neurons.

Three rhesus monkeys were given the implants, which were first used to record signals from their motor cortex -- an area of the brain that controls movement -- as they manipulated a joystick with their hands. Then those signals were used to develop a program that enabled one of the monkeys to continue moving the cursor with its brain.

During dozens of trials over several months, the monkey moved the cursor just by thinking and used it to touch dots that appeared on the screen, earning orange juice as a reward, said John Donoghue, chairman of neuroscience at Brown.

The results are promising enough that the device could one day be used on humans, the researchers reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. They would not speculate on how long that might take.

Anything that can be controlled with two- or three-dimensional coordinates can be controlled by similar implants, Donoghue said.

"Anything you can imagine can be engineered. What can you do with point-and-click navigation on the Internet?" he said.

In 1998, researchers at Emory University in Atlanta reported that a paralyzed man was able to control a cursor with a cone-shaped, glass implant, using it to operate a voice synthesizer that allowed him to communicate.

The key advance in the Brown study is that the researchers were able to use fewer neurons -- between seven and 30 -- to control the cursor, said Sandro Mussa-Ivaldi, a Northwestern University professor and staff member of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Mussa-Ivaldi said the glass cone implant is bulkier, but its advantage is that brain cells grow around the glass, holding it in place.

In November, Duke University researchers reported they had wired the brains of monkeys to control robotic arms.
When the monkeys reached for food or manipulated
a joystick, the robotic arms mimicked those motions.

Duke researcher Miguel Nicolelis, who was involved in the robotic arm research, said similar work has also been done with rodents.

As for transferring the implant technology to humans, "I always estimate these transfers as somewhere between five and 10 years, but it's very encouraging," Nicolelis said. "It now shows in rodents and in monkeys that this is feasible. It gets us very much on the track to potential applications in humans."

One can only imagine the uses the FDBs will put this new technology thru, such as the ever popular "Fun with Porn" game.

Hmm... upon reflection...

Fatty · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2002, 10:13:58 PM »

That test setup is here in my apartment, and since that story was published the monkey has shot down Milenko. Twice.

-dead- · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2002, 03:46:30 AM »

Hmmm
"It now shows in rodents and in monkeys that this is feasible"
Looks like the FDBs have a head start on us - all the FDA tests will slow up the technology reaching the rest of us.

skernsk · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2002, 08:48:34 AM »

Our monkey thumbs allow us to master the hat switches also:)

To date the cursor has not budged for me......

Nifty · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2002, 09:20:42 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Fatty
That test setup is here in my apartment, and since that story was published the monkey has shot down Milenko. Twice.

ROFL!!! this was priceless!

Especially the Twice. It woulda been a coffee spewer had I been drinking while reading it!

hblair · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:18:35 AM »

Looks like we need another trip to the dueling arena.

Wlfgng · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:21:33 AM »

I hate pickin' on 'em now hb...

after I heard that theme song of thiers... well...

what can I say... I like it !

skernsk · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2002, 10:49:34 AM »

Duel? The last duel we had you Assassins whined too much and we got sick of it.

What I'm wondering is what Fatty does with that monkey between experiments?

Lance · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2002, 11:23:33 AM »

I hit the reply button, can I have my orange juice now?

Wlfgng · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2002, 11:28:33 AM »

you don't want to know Skernsk.. I know I don't.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2002, 12:34:07 PM »

Combine the FDBs with this chip and the "Beer and Pizza" location on some maps... you end up with constant uncontrollable hillside collisions.

AKDejaVu

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2002, 12:35:23 PM »

I also recommend that this chip not be provided to FDBs for AH play until some kind of "Check 6" function is implimented for the sheep.

Mathman · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2002, 01:51:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Fatty
That test setup is here in my apartment, and since that story was published the monkey has shot down Milenko. Twice.

Oh my god, this is one of the funniest things I have read on this board since the great "pudding" post by xBat and Creamo's reply to Rip in the "nice Creamo" thread a week or so ago.

-math

Udie · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2002, 02:09:57 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by skernsk
What I'm wondering is what Fatty does with that monkey between experiments?

bad monkey!!! bad!! bad monkey!! monkey bad!! bad! bad! bad! bad monkeeeeeeeeeey!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ..............

the_hegemon · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2002, 12:56:56 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Mathman

Oh my god, this is one of the funniest things I have read on this board since the great "pudding" post by xBat and Creamo's reply to Rip in the "nice Creamo" thread a week or so ago.

-math

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5723

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2771

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8577

xBat is an odd one, it seems...