What role will machines play in shaping our future?

Nano-machines
Future machines will combine nanotechnology and the simple machines of the past, most commonly the lever. Nanotechnology promises, amongst other things, to revolutionise our ability to control disease, such as cancer and to give back control of artificial limbs powered by motors and levers.
Incredible miniaturization of machines may lead to fine control of molecular processes within the body. One particular project is the development of nano-machines that can search for and destroy cancer cells within the body.
As the size of machines becomes ever smaller so does the potential increase for these machines to interact with the brain. Such miniature implants can record patterns of stimuli from groups of nerves deep within the brain. These recordings can then be used to enhance memory, alter mood and control artificial limbs. As one American physician said "We used to treat the brain like soup, adding chemicals that enhance or suppress certain neurotransmitters. Now we’re treating it like circuitry.” This circuitry can now be deciphered and manipulated by computers. We are certainly at the dawn of a new age of brain control.

Not only can some implants allow blind people to see but some can actually allow the manipulation of artificial limbs just by thinking about the specific movement.

A blind person wearing a retinal implant.

Research into mind control of artificial limbs took a huge leap forward when in November 2000 researchers at the Duke University wired the brain of an owl monkey to a mechanical arm. The monkey's thoughts controlled the remote arm through the internet as it was placed some 900 km away.

To achieve this researchers implanted electrodes into multiple regions in a particular part of the brain responsible for movement. The electrodes recorded the pattern with which groups of neurons became activated when certain movements were performed, such as extending the hands to reach for food. These patterns were fed into a computer and mathematical models created to predict the animal's hand movements in 3D space and real time. The test animals were able to control the robotic arm in three dimensions to reach for a piece of food.
In other words the computer, with the aid of the brain implant, could decipher the pattern of electrical impulses and recognise what movement the brain wanted the hand to perform. Signals were then sent by the computer to the hand to perform such movements.

This breakthrough has implications for the treatment of paraplegic patients and others with spinal cord damage. It is hoped that, one day, development of prosthetic limbs that are as easy to use as the real limb will be a reality.

But the implications of such research are far reaching. Mind control and the ability to read once thoughts are only a step away as nanotechnology gives us the ability to create smaller and more powerful implants that can interact directly with the nerve cells in the brain.

Why was it necessary for the researchers to first obtain the pattern of nerve impulses from the brain of the monkey?

How did the researchers use the many patterns of nerve impulses they observed?

Intuitive control of robots in remote battle field operating theatres by trained surgeons who are a safe distance away is one possible use for this new technology.Can you see any other uses for thought control of robots? Mention the advantages of such control.
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