Neuro Engineering The Future by Laxmi Publications

We are on the cusp of a broad revolution-one with startling implications for perception, cog- nition, emotion, and indeed, personal identity. Still in its relative infancy, neuroengineering is poised to move from perceptual aids, such as cochlear implants, to devices that will enhance and speed up thought, to the ultimate goal of researchers-that of uploading the mind from its bound state in the body to a platform-independent existence. This controversial book describes the science that will make these transformations possible. It begins by describing how the brain works, including an overview of the architecture of the brain. It then examines the current state-of-the-art in neural technologies, including devices that read from the brain, and devices that can write information into the brain. The book also describes how insights from the nascent field of consciousness studies show how the full transfer of the 'soul' could be realized. Finally, it considers what it would be like to be a mind unbound, and the possibilities beyond those found in ordinary corporeal life.

FEATURES

• Shows which scenarios are most likely for transfer of the mind to a machine
• Describes short-term prospects for neural enhancement, with a specific description of how such devices will work. Avoids vague pronouncements and concentrates on specific technological possibilities such as devices that enhance intelligence and creativity, and machines that produce contentment and euphoria on demand
• Contains a comprehensive description of current neural technologies, and describes how they work with reference to material in earlier developmental chapters
• Discusses the ethical, cultural, and existential implications of the unbound mind
• Focuses on a given line of technological development: from the simple enhancements of today to the brain-machine interfaces of the near future to the final departure of the mind from its corporeal home