From: dream!Marcus_Brodeur@bikini.cis.ufl.edu (Marcus Brodeur)
Subject: Re: SCI: Direct Neural-Electronic Interfacing
Date: 3 Dec 92 04:21:56 GMT
Organization: DreamStates BBS & CyberNet HQ in G'ville, FL   1-904-331-4317



In a message dated Sun 29 Nov 92 3:26,
U55533%uicvm.uic.edu@ohstvma.acs.oh wrote:

>>****** DIRECT NEURAL - ELECTRONIC INTERFACING *************

>  I predict that full direct neural immersion will not be available for
>200 years,

 U> I wouldn't dare make any predictions that far into the future ...
 U> think of what's happened in the past 200 years ... and the pace of
 U> technology is accelerating.  Especially with applications like this,
 U> that have clear military applications (control of aircraft, for
 U> example).

Well, to be honest, the pace of technology is no longer accelerating
all that much.  In the nineteenth century, and moving on into the
twentieth, technology was exponentiating.  In the second half of the
twentieth century, due to problems of assimilation of new technology
into existing R&D, it's dropped down to a geometric progression.  As
technology becomes more advanced and the theory behind it more
specialized, I fear we will drop down to an arithmetic progression.
Not to say technology will not continue to march on, but the heady
days of the past 200 years are perhaps gone forever.  There are many
bold new frontiers to be conquered, certainly, but many (such as
direct-neural-interfacing) are certainly NOT going to be conquered in
the next century or so.  This is not pessimism on my part (indeed, I
am an optimist), but rather a realistic evaluation of progress in that
field particularly, also gleaned from discussions with several
individuals in the field of neurobiology and neuroscience.

Marcus Stefan Brodeur.

 

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