Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/08/04/neural-dust-tiny-wireless-imp.html
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IoT for the brain. What could possibly go wrong?
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Are those silver lines with perpendicular structure…nerves?
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That is actually cool and one of those wow we really are living in the future things.
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UC Berkeley researchers are developing “Neural Dust,” tiny wireless sensors for implanting in the brain, muscles, and intestines that could someday be used to control you
Cue up Stephenson reference
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So fucking cool and so fucking scary all at once.
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Reminds me of the things that Tony plugged into his arms in Iron Man 3.
And, for a more dystopian vision of the same thing, of The Matrix.
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Sorry I can’t think today, the neural implant server’s down…
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Remote wipes of company data after layoffs just got scarier.
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Mesothelioma that’s also a botnet?
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Yeah, that was my thought - the Internet of People.
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Even worse, as far as I can tell—these things don’t even have firmware; they’re just electrodes activated by ultrasound. So anyone who can send an ultrasound signal at the right frequency can activate them.
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Isn’t this the plot to “Implant” by Neal Stephenson? Cyberpunk in real life again…
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#“SoylentWeb is PEOPLE!”
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What does “-ceutical” mean again?
Well, it’s not a commercial product yet, I’m sure they will build in some kind of security. But what happens when Microsoft decides it’s time to upgrade you?
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Does tin foil block ultrasound?
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it is totally safe - the frequencies are super seekreet and only the good guys know them
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Maybe they’re counting on it being difficult to get ultrasound into someone. I have no experience in this field, admittedly, but maybe it requires the transducer to be firmly in contact with the skin?
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Oh, that’s possible, I was really just going for a dumb tinfoil hat joke.
Although I have all sorts of real questions from MRIs to the various metal / bomb detectors everyone’s expected to go through these days. It seems like a decent magnetic field could stir your brain into soup.
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Obvious dystopian outcomes are obvious.
However, think about the more punkish options. Go to a dance club and the NJ is ripping out some wild sensations. Interface with an uplinked dolphin and go fishing.
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