A preliminary research presentation for Experimenting with Game Interfaces (DESC9190), semester 1 2008, Faculty of Architecture Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, by Piotr Kulaga. Watch the final project video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXYTJdifoNk&feature=relmfu

1. Neural Prosthesis - the cyborg potential
Brain-to-Computer Interfaces, Wetware and Cyborg alpha 0.7
A research presentation by Piotr Kulaga
desc9182/desc9190 – Semester 1, 2008
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 1

2. Neural Prosthesis
the cyborg potential
 Inspiration
A response to Finn Bowring's philosophical warning in “Science,
Seeds and Cyborgs - Biotechnology and the appropriation of life”
and a review of “Human Version 2.0” - Horizon BBC documentary
 Motivation
Philosophical grounds for deliberations about my project
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 2

3. Background
abstruse futurists
 “A Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway (1985)
provided a controversial and provocative vision of the
cyborg paradigm;
'The machine is not an it to be animated… The machine is us, our
processes, an aspect of our embodiment.'
 Other proponents of genetic and computer based human
augmentation;
Hans Moravec, Peter Sloterdijik, Lee Silver, Gregory Stock and
Ray Kurzweil.
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 3

4. BCI research
Brain-to-Computer Interface
 Pioneers of BCI
Kevin Warwick, Hunter Peckham (Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland), Phillip Kennedy and Roy Bakay (Emory University, Atlanta),
Theodore Berger (The University of Southern California, LA) and Gary
Strong (ex DARPA, National Science Foundation)
 Major source of funding
Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 4

5. Neural Prosthesis
how does it work
“Neural Prosthesis: Reading the Mind”
Computerworld, October 1, 2001
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 5

6. Neural Prosthesis
rat
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 6

7. Neural Prosthesis
monkey
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 7

8. Neural Prosthesis
human
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 8

9. Computer
brain
32 thousand silicon neurons modelling a part
of a rat brain and four neurons implemented
in silicon.
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 9

10. Quantum
computer – this & that
"You don't have to understand
the nature of things, in order to
build cool devices.“
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 10

11. Luddites
and cautious objectors
Theodore Kaczynski (Harvard graduate
and participant of brain experiments there
and CIA Project MK Ultra) the infamous
Unabomber
Erwin Straus “The upright Posture”
Finn Bowring “Science, Seeds and
Cyborgs - Biotechnology and the
appropriation of life”
“Human Version 2.0” BBC Horizon
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 11

12. Relevance to my work
mostly philosophical
 The 'wired-in' sense of presence
 Conscious and otherwise elicitation of emotional states
through a prosthetic computing device
 The implied persistence of experiences
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 12

13. References
and sources
 Anthes, G., (2001). “Neural Prosthesis: Reading the Mind”
Computerworld, October 1, 2001. (pp32)
 Bowring, F., (2003). “Science, Seeds and Cyborgs - Biotechnology
and the appropriation of life”, Verso an imprint of New Left Books,
London. (pp259-277)
 Gralla, P., (2001). “WETWARE Human and animal brains being
wired to computers” Computerworld, October 1, 2001. (pp32)
 Van Der Pool, J., Cohen, A., Editor, (2006). “Human Version 2.0”,
BBC Horizon, www.bbc.co.uk/horizon.
15 Apr 08 'NEURAL PROSTHESIS - the cyborg potential' by Piotr Kulaga - desc9182 / desc9190 13