The Mind and the Machine. On the Conceptual and Moral Implications of Brain-Machine Interaction

Brain-machine interfaces are a growing field of research and application. The increasing possibilities to connect the human brain to electronic devices and computer software can be put to use in medicine, the military, and entertainment. Concrete technologies include cochlear implants, Deep Brain Stimulation, neurofeedback and neuroprosthesis. The expectations for the near and further future are high, though it is difficult to separate hope from hype. The focus in this paper is on the effects that these new technologies may have on our ‘symbolic order’—on the ways in which popular categories and concepts may change or be reinterpreted. First, the blurring distinction between man and machine and the idea of the cyborg are discussed. It is argued that the morally relevant difference is that between persons and non-persons, which does not necessarily coincide with the distinction between man and machine. The concept of the person remains useful. It may, however, become more difficult to assess the limits of the human body. Next, the distinction between body and mind is discussed. The mind is increasingly seen as a function of the brain, and thus understood in bodily and mechanical terms. This raises questions concerning concepts of free will and moral responsibility that may have far reaching consequences in the field of law, where some have argued for a revision of our criminal justice system, from retributivist to consequentialist. Even without such a (unlikely and unwarranted) revision occurring, brain-machine interactions raise many interesting questions regarding distribution and attribution of responsibility

Bio-inspired retinal optic flow perception in robotic navigation

This thesis concerns the bio-inspired visual perception of motion with emphasis on locomotion targeting robotic systems. By continuously registering moving visual features in the human retina, a sensation of a visual flow cue is created. An interpretation of visual flow cues forms a low-level motion perception more known as retinal optic flow. Retinal optic flow is often mentioned and credited in human locomotor research but only in theory and simulated environments so far. Reconstructing the retinal optic flow fields using existing methods of estimating optic flow and experimental data from naive test subjects provides further insight into how it interacts with intermittent control behavior and dynamic gazing. The retinal optic flow is successfully demonstrated during a vehicular steering task scenario and further supports the idea that humans may use such perception to aid their ability to correct their steering during navigation.To achieve the reconstruction and estimation of the retinal optic flow, a set of optic flow estimators were fairly and systematically evaluated on the criteria on run-time predictability and reliability, and performance accuracy. A formalized methodology using containerization technology for performing the benchmarking was developed to generate the results. Furthermore, the readiness in road vehicles for the adoption of modern robotic software and related software processes were investigated. This was done with special emphasis on real-time computing and introducing containerization and microservice design paradigm. By doing so, continuous integration, continuous deployment, and continuous experimentation were enabled in order to aid further development and research. With the method of estimating retinal optic flow and its interaction with intermittent control, a more complete vision-based bionic steering control model is to be proposed and tested in a live robotic system

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Childhood: Injury Outcomes, Teacher Perspectives and Educating Educators

Paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has the potential to impact on a wide range of developmental functions in childhood. However, the relationship between mTBI and persistent developmental difficulties is controversial, with some suggestion that children’s post-injury difficulties may actually predate the injury. Regardless of cause, however, mTBI seems to be associated with developmental impairment in childhood that may impact on academic performance and overall school functioning. In spite of the high prevalence of mTBI amongst young people, educators and school services may not be aware of the implications of such injuries and how post-concussive symptoms should be managed in educational settings. It seems that the conflicting findings regarding mTBI outcomes in childhood may contribute to a lack of knowledge amongst educators about how to manage mTBI and associated difficulties in primary-school-aged students. There is a need to further clarify the existence and nature of developmental impairments after paediatric mTBI and consider their implications in educational settings. Furthermore, there is a need to understand more regarding the capacities of educators to address issues that may arise as a result of such impairments and consider how teaching practices in this area can be enhanced. In Study 1, the emotional, behavioural, social, intellectual, neuropsychological (comprised of memory, attention, and executive function) and academic functioning of 41 children who had sustained mTBI 14-months prior was investigated. The findings of those assessments were compared with those from a non-injured cohort of children matched on age, gender, ethnicity and school decile. Assessment measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a measure of emotional, behavioural and social functioning, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) as a measure of executive function, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG) and CNS Vital Signs (CNSVS) as measures of global neuropsychological functioning, a short-form version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) as a measure of intelligence, the brief battery of the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Academic Achievement (WJ III ACH) as measure of academic achievement, and a teacher questionnaire regarding school functioning. Information obtained from parents and teachers regarding pre-injury diagnoses and learning problems did not reveal significant premorbid difficulties amongst the clinical group. The results of Study 1 showed that children who have sustained mTBI demonstrate higher rates of emotional and behavioural problems than those in a matched cohort, while executive function and social functioning was found to be similar across the two groups. Children with mTBI evidence significantly lower intellectual functioning and academic achievement, and are more likely to demonstrate learning disorders. Given the developmental impairments identified in the sample and the possible implications of such difficulties in school settings, it was considered important to evaluate teachers’ perceptions of childhood TBI and how such impairments might be managed at school. Study 2 looked at the perceptions of educators regarding childhood TBI. Nineteen primary school teachers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions engaged in semi-structured interviews that covered their understanding of TBI, its mechanisms and consequences. Participants also discussed the use of programme adaptations for children with persistent difficulties after mTBI and perceived barriers to uptake. The majority of participants had a limited understanding of mTBI and its implications in childhood. None of the participants had received prior education regarding paediatric TBI and identified this as an area of weakness that they perceived could be addressed by professional development. However, participants were not aware of any available professional development opportunities specifically relating to paediatric TBI. Participants perceived significant barriers to the delivery of appropriate educational approaches for children with developmental impairments, including limited resourcing and funding for special education and poor communication between the education and health sectors, resulting in a lack of information and support for educators. Study 3 involved the development, delivery and evaluation of a professional development workshop and written information resource for teachers. The workshop and written information resource were delivered in three local primary schools to 38 participants. A knowledge quiz regarding mTBI was administered pre- and post-workshop. Participants also completed an evaluation of the workshop and brochure rating the usefulness of and their satisfaction with the materials. A repeated-measures experiment showed that knowledge levels significantly increased following participation in the workshop. The majority of participants were satisfied with the content of the workshop and expected to make changes to their practice with children who had experienced mTBI and were evidencing emotional, behavioural and/or cognitive symptoms. The results of this research indicate that while the cause of post-concussive difficulties may be ambiguous, children who have experienced mTBI are at higher risk of demonstrating developmental problems across a wide range of domains. These problems have the potential to impact on school functioning; however, teachers may not be aware of these issues and thus may not be well-placed to support children who are experiencing difficulties through the post-concussive period and beyond. On the other hand, teachers demonstrate insight into their limitations in this regard and appear keen to address their professional development needs in this area. A brief professional development approach that focuses on the epidemiology and possible consequences of mTBI in childhood, along with a range of programme adaptation strategies that teachers can opt to employ as necessary, may be useful in improving teacher knowledge, educational practice and, ultimately, functional outcomes for children who have experienced mTBI. The need for screening and intervention services for children with mTBI is highlighted, along with a reconceptualisation of how special needs are addressed in school settings

Face It, Users Don’t Care: Affinity and Trustworthiness of Imperfect Digital Humans

Digital humans are growing in application and popularity, both as avatars for people and as standalone artificial intelligence-controlled agents. While the technology to make a digital human look more realistic is improving, we know little about how realistic they need to be. Humans are exceptionally good at identifying imperfect digital reproductions of human faces, so it has been reasoned that the slightest imperfections in the visual design of digital humans may translate into reduced acceptance and effectiveness. The broadly held wisdom is that digital humans should be photorealistic and indistinguishable from real people. To examine this common belief we collected data on individuals’ affinity and trustworthiness in photorealistic digital humans when engaged in a product bidding situation, along with a human presenter with varying degrees of video imperfections. The results reveal that participants noticed some of the video imperfections, but this did not adversely affect their willingness to pay, affinity, or trust. We found that once digital humans become close to realistic, users simply do not care about visual imperfection

Consciousness operates beyond the timescale for discerning time intervals: implications for Q-mind theories and analysis of quantum decoherence in brain

This paper presents in details how the subjective time is constructed by the brain cortex via reading packets of information called "time labels", produced by the right basal ganglia that act as brain timekeeper. Psychophysiological experiments have measured the subjective "time quanta" to be 40 ms and show that consciousness operates beyond that scale - an important result having profound implications for the Q-mind theory. Although in most current mainstream biophysics research on cognitive processes, the brain is modelled as a neural network obeying classical physics, Penrose (1989, 1997) and others have argued that quantum mechanics may play an essential role, and that successful brain simulations can only be performed with a quantum computer. Tegmark (2000) showed that make-or-break issue for the quantum models of mind is whether the relevant degrees of freedom of the brain can be sufficiently isolated to retain their quantum coherence and tried to settle the issue with detailed calculations of the relevant decoherence rates. He concluded that the mind is classical rather than quantum system, however his reasoning is based on biological inconsistency. Here we present detailed exposition of molecular neurobiology and define the dynamical timescale of cognitive processes linked to consciousness to be 10-15 ps showing that macroscopic quantum coherent phenomena in brain are not ruled out, and even may provide insight in understanding life, information and consciousness

Darwin\u27s Disciples

Set in a time when the world’s population has surpassed a sustainable level, the biggest threat to humanity is itself. Manmade climate change is poised to render Earth irreparably inhospitable. One of the first successful products of human genetic engineering, Cain, is directing his immense intellect toward solving the problem. Cain sees only one true solution: cleanse the planet of mankind. Cain and his followers, known as Darwin’s Disciples, seek to recruit the top ten percent of the population based on genetic makeup. The unfit, the unworthy, and the underwhelming are targets to be eliminated. A small faction, the Bastion, has risen to challenge him. These champions of the people need every stroke of luck they can get if they are to succeed in stopping the coming darkness. This is the story of the culling of the human race and the desperate struggle that ensued

The first cyborg and First World War bodies as anti-war propaganda

This article discusses a play published in The Strand Magazine during the First World War which features a cyborg presenting anti-war and pacifist messages, used by The Strand to create anti-German propaganda. The article draws on theories of disability, cyborgs and the posthuman, and from new research on wartime fiction magazines. The importance of the cyborg character, Soldier 241, for the literary history of science fiction is explored by focusing on the relations between the mechanical and the impaired body, and on the First World War as a nexus for technological, surgical and military development. As a cyborg, this character reflects politicized desires that the wartime authorities did not acknowledge: a longing for the end of war, and refusal to countenance a society that rejected the impaired body

Cesagen response to Nuffield Council on bioethics consultation on novel neurotechnologies:intervening in the brain

In what follows, we do not answer every question [by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics). We first proceed with our comments, referring to the numbered questions as appropriate. Thereafter, we give a case study from recent studies within Cesagen to illustrate more general insights for public policy. Case study 1 illustrates some of the complications that arise in public consultation about human enhancement, in particular, with reference to idealistic perceptions which are strongly influenced by long-term popular imaginations about the future of humans and their societies. As we said in a response to a previous consultation, our position is that attention needs to be paid to how the technologies and the associated issues are framed – ethically, politically, scientifically, and by whom. This includes how a given technology is itself described (typically well before it actually exists, if it comes to do so); the claims made for its purported benefits; how stakeholders are conceptualised; how social-cultural aspects will evolve. Such framing is not exclusively a scientific and technological matter but involves cultural and social imaginations as well as artistic ones

(Bio-/Cyber-/Robo-)technologically Enhanced and Designed “People” in the Most Recent Croatian Dystopian Prose

The following paper focuses on typification and cataloguing of the various manifestations of body decorating and enhancing in selected novels and stories, and also tries to examine their meanings, what changes they bring, what attitude of the authors towards technological progress they reveal and what social/cultural phenomena and processes they reflect. The paper also questions the upgrades of the human mind and the transformations of humans into some other forms of existence. Nine contemporary dystopian novels and five short stories have been studied for the purposes of this research. The methodological framework consists of texts that question the enhancement of the human body conducted in various ways, especially through biotechnology, bioengineering, cybernetics, robotics, etc