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Third hand
Train your brain to activate electronic controls | |
I R no neurophysicist, but I propose using neural training to extend virtual motor functions to run external devices.
(this idea evolved from [AJCrowley]'s Brain Remote Control, and [bungston]'s EEG Biofeedback but is a different approach)
The idea is to use the cortex's plasticity (its
ability to reorganize sensory and motor control pathways after nerve or brain damage).
Bill Gates could work with a cortex trainer to develop a set of virtual fingers, and hardware/software specialists to create an interface for controlling actions with the virtual digits.
If an individual could develop five discrete new neural motor signals (virtual fingers), the range of corresponding actions could take advantage of combinations, sequences, as well as variable movement, to give infinite signal outputs.
A Bluetooth transmitter could send the output signals to receivers in Bill Gates' local environment, and he could use his brain-controlled third hand to do anything. Except fix his hair.
Kind of this
http://www.newscien.../ai/helpinghand.jsp But more complicated [roby, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
Monkey brain - robot arm
http://web.mit.edu/.../dec06/monkeys.html Monkey controls robot arm with brain [TimD, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
Stelarc's Third Arm
http://www.stelarc....au/third/third.html Baked, though I bet it doesn't work so well. [rmutt, Dec 12 2006]
[link]
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The operative word being "if." |
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This remote brain stuff is getting out of hand. |
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I dunno. This one sounds moderately doable. |
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//This remote brain stuff is getting out of hand// |
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Were working our way up to Forbidden Planet (Freudian monsters from the id). |
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I like this, but the transference device should be programmable and able to interface with other devices, such as a "wireless mouse", or a machine interface in a plant.... something like that... maybe this is what you meant? I needed to come up with some practical examples though ;) |
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So on one hand, this is remotely possible, on the other hand, it would be complicated, and on the third hand, I've created a *_monster_*. |
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So what would be the feedback to the brain during this training process to learn how to control the third hand? Visual only? Would the virtual fingers have sensors on them relaying things like pressure and temperature? The brain needs to be trained how to use its new pathways. |
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Besides, I'm sure if someone managed to send their output signals to Bill Gates' virtual fingers they would either slap his face or pick his pocket (maybe both). |
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I'm glad you didn't call this virtual fingers because that would have been too nice of a setup :) |
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so i could flip three people off at
once? |
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So how many annotations in a row
start with so? And no, the
third hand isn't for obscene
gestures, it's for productive
pursuits, like playing music. Where
do all these evil thoughts come
from? |
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the Evil Technology implant in my brain. 4 annos |
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[whine] So how come reensure weighs in with this valuable commentary here and not on my EEG biofeedback device? [/whine]. |
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Thanks for the input [reensure].
I'm more than impressed.
To extend what I think
you're saying; I wonder if one
could try externalizing signals by
identifying and hijacking an
existing low need nerve channel
for motor control (like the one that
lets me wiggle my ears) for
retraining as you describe,
engaging some sort of pulse-
activated servo, or even a
representative visual/virtual
display.
I guess the
question is whether the signals
could be tapped from the cortex
via the detailed observations you
describe, or more electro-
mechanically further down the
line. BTW, is this area your
specialty? |
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// And no, the third hand isn't for obscene gestures, it's for productive pursuits, like playing music. // |
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Or rubbing your third eye. |
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Growing the controls for a third hand in your brain, why thats nothing. But getting the signal out of the brain...not so easy. Kilgore Trout wrote of a hands-off space suit propulsion unit control. As I recall, it was driven by a sensor which measured the tumescence of the Space Wanderers penis, which tumescence was in turn controlled by an IV injection of hormones, which injection of hormones was then controlled by a chin activated lever... |
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A godsend for one-handed websurfers |
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//call this virtual fingers//
If Stevie Wonder got fitted for one of these, would his first three-handed hit song be called "Virtual Fingertips?" |
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Nature is wise. It gave us the abilities we need to enjoy / control the world around us. I think we already manipulate it beyond what corresponds to us, so I dont know about a "third hand". |
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(off-topic R-rated annos removed) |
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Canuck, the transference device that is connected to your brain, is a stationary sytem, you know how to communicate with say, ten ports. Now a port is simply a on or off connectoin (your either raising your "arm" up or down) Then, you could program the transference device to interface with another system, and you would "know" or sense what the movements were like you know how to stick out your tounge and point your finger at the same time. So, you just declare that "up pressure" on valve 7 (of the device you are interfacing with) is port 2 & 3 on. Hope this is not utterly confusing... P.S. reensure - they have already connected electrodes to a monkeys brain and had it learn to move a robotic arm. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/2000/dec06/monkeys.html Theyve got "touch" down, once they get "feel", well be able to program our vcrs with our minds. :) |
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As handy as this would be to organists, and one man bands (and possibly percussionists) I had to vote no on this. Would you really want the creator of Windoze to mess around with your brain?? not me! |
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The actual idea is quite bakeable - yet only if the virtual hand is exercised a lot. The hands only are so much more fine-controllable because you often use them for fine motor tasks - the feet can be trained to be equally controllable, and the hands can loose that ability, if not exercised enough. so the third hand would have to have some physical/virtual representation that was available at all times. |
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<paperclip>"It looks like you are trying to pick your nose. Would you like some help?"</paperclip> |
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