SDE TED TALK ASSIGNMENT

Submitted by:

Waleed Jawaid

Roll no: 06
Link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgFzmE2fGXA

New Brain Computer interface technology | Steve Hoffman | TEDxCEIBS

This talk was delivered by Steve Hoffman, who is the founder of Founders Space, which is an
international incubator and accelerator. He talks about the latest developments in the Brain
Computer Interface (BCI) technology and how it will change our world and reality.

The electroencephalography (EEG) measures the brain waves through measuring the
electrical activity in the brain. The BCI has wide applications in entertainment, healthcare
(PTSD, ADHD for measuring concentration), and education.

Right now, scientists around the world are developing brain chips which can be inserted into
the brain and which are wireless. A monkey that broke its back and whose spinal cord was
severed was completely paralyzed. Scientists put a chip in the brain and another chip in the
lower spine and they allowed the brain to communicate with the lower spine and the
monkey could walk again. Other experiments had monkeys which drove electric wheelchairs
connected to the chip inside their brains only by thinking. Also, a monkey could move their
robotic arms just by thinking and feed itself.

In the future, we could also have brain chips in ourselves. The first ones to get themselves
implanted will be the people who have disabilities like paralysis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
disease etc. Rats with these chips inside their brains were taught that if they could take
certain actions, they could get food. It took weeks for a rat to learn these actions but then
the scientists hooked the chip to internet. They connected it to another’s rat’s brain which
was in another city and the other rat knew how to get food instantly and didn’t even have
to learn. Thus, knowledge was transferred from one animal’s brain to another’s. One can
easily imagine the different possibilities of what humans can achieve with this in ten years’
time. Mind to mind communication, according to Hoffman, will eventually happen.

So, when we have chips inside us, we would be able to communicate even halfway around
the world and exchange knowledge with each other. If you have a chip which is connected
to the internet, you have all the information on internet accessible to your mind. Google will
seem primitive and you will just think what knowledge you need and it will just appear.
We will also be able to transfer memories and experiences like skydiving with friends. In the
future, we will have access to anyone’s life who will make it available for us on the cloud.
People will open source their lives and we will be able to experience the things they
experience, their emotions, and their knowledge.

Universities might become obsolete because they will be in the cloud and we could just
download information from the best minds in the world. Information and knowledge will be
commoditized.

And not only knowledge but full experiences in our brains would be available for download,
something like a very futuristic VR. We might download different environments and live in
them. Our brains already have that capability and the best evidence of this are dreams and
how real they seem to us.

Once connected to internet we will not be trapped by your body, but we could be
anywhere, anytime, for example, on mars and experience things that astronauts do.

According to Hoffman, we will come to a point where we will create our own reality and
thus we will have to be extremely careful and responsible. There might be huge safety
concerns because just like hackers hack computers, there might also be hackers in the
future when our brains are connected to the internet. They could steal our information,
experiences, and emotions. They might be able to inject memories in our brains, erase
memories, and control us. So, we will have to be careful and think of how we will develop
this technology and what precautions could we take to ensure our safety while benefitting
from such technology.
Steve Hoffman (Capt Hoff), founder of Founders Space (Incubator and accelerator international)

1. Human brain technology called brain computer interface.

2. 100,000 years brain has remained the same even though the world has changed radically. But now we
are going to do it in the future.
3. EEG measures your brain waves. These can tell your concentration levels and even can be used to
move a cursor on the screen.
4. These have applications in entertainment, healthcare (PTSD, ADHD for measuring concentration), and
education.
5. Right now, scientists around the world are developing brain chips which can be inserted into the brain
which are wireless.
6. A monkey which broke its back which spinal cord was severed. It was paralyzed but they inserted a
chip in the monekys brain and another chip in the lower spine and they allowed the brain to
communicate with the lower spine and it could walk again.
7. They now have in labs mnekys with chips in the brain and electric whhelchair and just by thinking they
could drive that chair around. Now if moneky could do that what could you do. Experiments monkeys
chip in their brains and a robotic arm and moneky can eed itself just by thinking.
8. We will have brain chips in humans. The first ones will be the people who have disabilities like
paralyzed from neck down, alziemers, Parkinson etc and it will make you better quality of life.
9. Experminets with rats chips in its brains, it taught rats certain things it could get food. Took weeks to
learnt that but they hooked the chip to internet and they connected the two rats brain thru the
internet in another city and the other rat knew how to get food instantly and it didn’t even have to
learn. Knowledge was transferred from brain f one animal to another animal’s brain. Possibilities.
Imagine 10 yrs what they can do to humans. Mind to mind communication will eventually happen.
10. So when we have chips inside us we can communicate even halfway around the world and exchange
knowledge.
11. So if you have achip which is connected to the internet you have all the info on internet is accessible to
our mind. Google will seem primitive and you will just think what knowledge you need and it will just
appear.
12. And also transferr memories and experiences like skydiving with friends.
13. Living our lives but have access to anyones live who will make it available for you. PPL will open source
their lives and experience those things.
14. Universities will be obsolete cuz they will be in the cloud and we could just download from the best
minds in the world. No unis. Information and knowledge will be commoditized. Infinite amount of
storage and info and connected to everything.
15. Not only knowledge but full exeriences in our heads unlike vr you could download a whole
environment and live in it. Dreams are real, our brains already have that capabilities.
16. Once connected to internet you will not be trapped by your body, you could be anywhere anythime for
eg on mars and experience on mars etc. in minds of rockstars etc who will allow that.
17. Now you can have many lives and access others lives and live thru them.
18. You will be able to feel emotions of other people and even know each thers pain.
19. We will come to a point where we will create our own reality.
20. Responsibility and safety and people could hack your computers now but in future when your brain is
connected to internet they could actually steal you! They can inject memories in your brain, they could
erase memories, they could control you. Brain hackers and mind control.
21. So we have to careful and think of how we do it.
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