L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
Brain & Mind
Implants
Brain implants1 are beginning to move beyond those initially designed to circumvent dysfunctional brain areas after a stroke or head injury. Many implantable and stimulatory brain devices are routinely available to block hunger signals and combat obesity, tackle Parkinson's disease or relieve chronic pain2. Second generation implants are creating interfaces between the brain’s neural system and computer chips. Older interfaces between brain and machine have been in use for many years in technologies such as electroencephalography to measure brain waves.
Unless treating a medical condition, most people still prefer to use head electrodes rather than full brain implants. These electrodes enable the individual to connect with a computer through a process known as ‘datajacking’ to create simulated stimulation. This means the individual experiences another reality directly and industry has begun to use this concept to enhance learning.
These applications have been developed from the entertainment industry where people ‘datajack’ to join cyberspace parties, plays and films. Most learning applications however, are based on augmented reality – a combination of real world and computer-generated data, rather than a completely fictional environment.
The Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency developed RoboRat3 in the late 1990s. In this programme, operators remotely controlled a rat’s movements via electrodes implanted in its head. Pentagon researchers are now developing a human project, saying this work will eventually enable the military to defuse terrorist actions and make soldiers more effective warriors.
Advances in nanotechnology are enabling medical staff to infiltrate intact brains with a network of cell-sized machines (nanobots) to read the structure and activity of the brain in situ. For medical purposes, this allows artificial nanobot neurons4 to replace living neurons while the subject is still conscious, providing a smooth transition from organic material to the living brain.
Brain implants are well-established in the field of medicine, but researchers are developing neural nanobot applications for the world of work. One MIT programme is investigating the use of computer-interfaced nanobots for call centre use. In this initiative, call centre staff can answer a customer’s call by directing a thought to the computer, which opens the correct screen without the use of a mouse. The central system logs staff reactions to customer calls and checks them for accuracy.
Following Microsoft’s earlier success of the so-called ‘Big Brother’ software5, companies routinely run remote checks on workers by monitoring their productivity, competence and physical condition. Since the demise of trade unions in around 2015, union voices speaking against this development have been overruled in several corporations.
However, companies have run online chat forums to assess the system’s acceptability by workers. While many view this as a negative move, most can see the benefits. Wireless sensors, linked to a central computer, measure individual metabolism and can provide an early warning of medical conditions ranging from stress and early heart disease to liver and kidney problems.
CEO Mary Smith, of the global conglomerate Nano Products Corporation, recently said: ‘Introducing the “Concerned Sibling” system has been expensive, but our staff are pleased we have such a concern for their well-being.’
1. http://www.technology.gov/Speeches/RC_060719.htm 07/06
2. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19526181.300-your-body-the-powerplant.html New Scientist 08/07
3. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19325871.900-review-mind-wars-by-jonathan-moreno.html New Scientist 01/07
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-2Xw-GNkUQ
5. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3193480.ece 01/08
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