this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2023
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The Race to Put Brain Implants in People Is Heating Up::Thanks in part to Elon Musk, the field of brain-computer interfaces has captured both public and investor interest, with a cadre of companies now developing implantable devices.

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[–] tabular@lemmy.world 57 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I'm sorry, this version of i-plant is no longer supported. Please subscribe to a get a free replacement for your assisted eye sight, the premium option has no ads!

[–] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 37 points 10 months ago (3 children)

You joke but they’re actually people running into that problem right now. A company that made bionic eyes shutdown and their users nolonger have support.

[–] Buttons@programming.dev 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

"Intellectual property" protection has gone too far. It should not be illegal to repair your own devices, it should not be illegal to reverse engineer and break encryption on your own devices. Intellectual property should be inseparable from public interest responsibilities. If you buy a movie (and have proof of such), then whoever owns the IP for the movie should be required to provide you with additional copies, and if the IP gets lost in the legal weeds, then the movie is no longer copyrighted and people can copy and distribute it freely.

As a society, we have no interest in making your rich just because you're a passive owner, you provide no benefit to society and society should provide no benefit to you. However, if you create a popular movie, and you distribute it and you take responsibility for ensuring that those who have purchased the movie are able to view it freely, then you are rendering a service to society and deserve to profit.

[–] DrWorm@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Wasn't that specifically because the inventor and doctor died unexpectedly and he just didn't write any of that stuff down or train others on how the procedure was done?

[–] LainOfTheWired@lemy.lol 39 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah no. Smartphones have ruined our mental health and privacy enough I can't even imagine what an implant would do to us.

[–] LWD@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)
[–] smotherlove@sh.itjust.works 38 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I will sooner implant a bullet before this proprietary bullshit

[–] monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world 34 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Is this going to be like those neurotech implants for the ~deaf~ blind that the company went under and now the people get no service, support or anything?

https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-022-03810-5/index.html

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Unlikely. These implants require far less in terms of outside-the-body tech.

Also those people were blind, which is a whole other issue because you need external feedback processing.

Its novelty is that it doesn’t require open brain surgery. Instead, it’s implanted through a slit at the base of the neck and threaded up through the jugular vein into the motor cortex—the part of the brain that directs movement. The device is powered by a small battery pack placed under the skin of the chest. Synchron has implanted 10 patients, including six in a US feasibility trial supported by the Brain Initiative.

Being up to "cure" paralysis is a great thing.

[–] hagelslager@feddit.nl 22 points 10 months ago (2 children)

This sounds like a nightmare.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago (4 children)
[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Because there is 0 chance these companies don’t force ads into our brains or require us to pay subscriptions not mentioned before the implant was put in but may harm our brain if we don’t pay. Europeans will maybe be safe from that due to consumer protection laws but we Americans are fucked.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This seems like a policy problem and not a tech problem.

[–] m13@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you really think policy matters when there’s a profit incentive?

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes, absolutely. Look at the current insane level of protectionism.

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sorry, the support for my bionic eyes must have been dropped. Where is this insane protectionism?

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Do you not recall the literal trade war we were in before COVID?

Theres still onsistently high tariffs on imported goods, and the US government is even considering banning the sale of US steel to Nippon

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Oh gotcha, I thought you meant consumer protection laws. Not international trade. My bad for not catching that

[–] hagelslager@feddit.nl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

While the idea is awesome, I'm certain that greedy corporations or other bad actors will abuse this.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm sure at some point in the future someone will do bad things with every piece of technology, as they have with every piece of technology so far.

That's no reason to be upset about advances in new technology

[–] Fades@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They aren’t upset about technological advancement, they’re upset at the utter lack of consumer protection.

It’s been bad for a long time:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/bionic-eye-obsolete

And nothing has changed that. But go ahead don’t let me stop you from begging to be a beta tester.

Worked out so far right? https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-pcrm-neuralink-monkey-deaths/

Im sure Elon will totally not rat fuck you like he has done to every Tesla owner (bad build quality, false advertising for things like full self driving, etc)

It’s wild you are so desperate to defend these out of control capitalists wanting to do literal human experimentation. The corporations don’t give a fuck about you, you’re expendable.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It’s wild you are so desperate to defend these out of control capitalists wanting to do literal human experimentation.

This is not a remotely accurate reading of either my comments or this article

[–] formergijoe@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Tired of ads in your dreams? For the low price of $15.99 a month you could get ad-free dreams with Brain+!

[–] Fades@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago
[–] dmalteseknight@programming.dev 17 points 10 months ago

People seem to think it is a one time thing. But are you going to have invasive brain surgery every time you need a major upgrade because your current implants are no longer being supported?

[–] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

Just a matter of time before we get Ghost in the Shell style cybernetics replacing parts of our brains

[–] ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 1 points 10 months ago

These companies are more interested in the prestige of getting there first, and securing venture capital than the actual applications, implants, and patients.