18
POPSThe future of Mind Control research is showing that the brain can act independently of the body. One day, you could be sitting in an office and controlling a device from across the room—or in another building. And it’s not just flicking a switch. It could be a nanotool that’s moving through a tiny environment, and you can control it and see what it’s seeing.” That kind of extension could lead to new spectrums of scale and force, not to mention new kinds of sensory input altogether. Instead of merely imagining that you’re grasping a nanotool with virtual fingers, you could learn to pilot it like a minuscule spaceship—only with your mind. And if that device had any sensors, you might be able to process the data as though it were a tiny camera.
7
POPSBionic implants raise ethical question What's the difference between a bionic ear, and an artificial leg, a kidney dialysis machine a heart valve or a breast implant ? They're all artificial substitutions. I have trouble finding the reason for anyone but the recipient to judge. As for the fear of 'superhuman' capabilities It is just a matter of taking the next step and substituting the brain. Then there's a robot/cyborg with absolutely no ethics, just a command chain, but a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. When is the public ever listened to anyway ? Perhaps we should ask a deaf philosopher.
2
POPSResearchers leap a nano hurdle They have managed to make sheets of carbon one atom thick. The graphite in pencils is made of stacks of these sheets, but they have had trouble separating them without clumping. Now they have found and easy way (always easy once you work out how) The are many applications, particularly because of the biological affinity for carbon, and can be useful as electrodes for bionic devices, such as cochlear implants.