In the future direct interfacing between the brain and technology seems likely. The rudimentary technology has already been demonstrated and Musk’s company is working on an implant meant to be a commercial product. My question is about how you see the interface eventually working. In particular I am curious about what the advantage of an implant is.
From the demonstrations I’ve seen things like typing, moving cursors, ect can be achieved with sensors applied to the body externally like an fmri skullcap or a neckband that reads vibrations in the vocal cords. External sensors are much safer to apply than a brain implant, they can be replaced much more easily if they malfunction, and they can be upgraded. I have read an article that said there are advantages to implants for people with medical issues like paralysis because the implant can offer feedback providing a more “normal” experience and interacting with specific nerves gives more precise control and less lag time. For medical applications like restoring lost function that makes the risk of surgery make sense. For the average person what advantages do implants offer over external sensors that make the risks of brain surgery worth it?
Cyberpunk science fiction sees different interfaces. One that stands out to me that makes a lot of sense is a permanently installed port that you put cartridges / chips into. Like a mini SD card reader in your head that interfaces that data to your brain. example novel
This seems like a good idea to me because nothing is permanently “installed” that will do anything. The card reader is inert until you put a card it. I would also build in a physical or software “timer” that would eject/unmount the card after a set amount of time. Safety seems very important for something attached to your brain.