Brain Engineering
by Adam George
October 15, 2014
At the 2014 World Knowledge Forum, new developments in brain engineering were discussed by Dr. Ben Goertzel, the Chairman of the OpenCog Foundation, and Dr. Jaeseung Jeong, associate professor of KAIST. The two doctors have conducted research on brain engineering, and their findings provided an inside look into how much the brain is already capable of doing, as well as what we will be able to achieve through brain engineering in the near future.
Dr. Goertzel commenced the session by focusing on the neural regions of the brain, explaining that each region carries out numerous cognitive functions. In his research, Dr. Goertzel must examine specific neural regions that, when examined apart from its cerebral connections, have specific functions. This, however, poses an issue for Mr. Goertzel and his peers.
“How to divide the brain up into regions is a problem within itself that we don’t totally agree on,” Dr. Goertzel said. Due to the fact that each region’s function changes when looking at the connections it has with neighboring regions, segregating one region and assigning its functions proves challenging.
Dr. Goertzel also described the roles of neurons, the brain cells that transmit ideas from one to the other. He explained the convolution of the brain, noting that each neuron has its own function. In one example that examined an epileptic patient, researchers would “measure specific neurons that only fire when they see a specific actress,” according to Dr. Goertzel. Ultimately dubbed the Jennifer Anniston Effect, the patient had specific neurons that only fired when he viewed a picture of the actress.
Dr. Goertzel’s work on artificial intelligence, or AI, must delve into these intricacies of the brain, yet disregard the complex nature of the brain. His goal is to “simulate biological neurons…intending to build a thinking machine, the same way people can.” His research falls under the Brain-Computer Interface aspect of brain engineering. This realm explores the ways to connect brain and computer functions into one.
The idea of Cognitive Synergy helps Dr. Geortzel to understand his research findings.
“[Cognitive Synergy] refers to the way the whole is a lot more than the sum of its parts in a brain system… when you put [the parts of the brain] altogether, it would not be easy to predict by looking at each part separately,” he said.
Dr. Goertzel also expressed hope that brain engineering development will one day witness more elaborate products derived from brain-computer interfacing. These ranged from the ability to broadcast feelings to others, to implanting USB ports and memory sticks into one’s head.
Shifting focus to Dr. Jeong’s research, he explained more aspects off the commercialization of brain engineering. For example, Dr. Jeong started his portion of the session with a new means for advertising.
“Called train windows, or talking windows, [audio is transmitted] by vibrating without any sound. If the passenger leans against the window [on a train], the window is vibrating. The technology is called ‘bone conduction technology’ which transmits vibration to the hair cells in the cochlea which transfers the vibrations to sound,” he said.
Dr. Jeong’s research also looks at artificial limbs that, when connected to a patient, accurately follow the patient’s neural commands. In a video, Dr. Jeong showed a monkey with a robotic arm.
“The monkey has the intention to control the robot like his real arm,” he noted, showing the success of his research.
The goal of replacement rings true for Dr. Jeong’s work, in that artificial organs and neural prosthesis help humans retain elements that the body suddenly lost.
Dr. Jeong also mentioned a more recreational aspect to the commercialization of his research, particularly in the video game, World of Warcraft.
“In the future,” he said, “you play World of Warcraft without using the keyboard, just thinking!”
Even though researchers have only explored the area of brain engineering for a small amount of time, both Dr. Goertzel and Dr. Jeong’s works have demonstrated its opportunities prove promising. In the near future, more developed innovations into brain engineering will open the door for a new way of life.