A flurry of news activity this week, surrounding DARPA's Neurophotonics project, which specifies optical fiber connections between the human brain and robotics-based prosthetic limbs. Southern Methodist University (SMU) announced that DARPA will be funding its new Neurophotonics Research Center to the tune of $5.6 million.
The stated goal of the government's Neurophotonics Research Center is:
To develop a link compatible with living tissue that will connect powerful computer technologies to the human nervous system through hundreds or even thousands of sensors embedded in a single fiber.
Unlike experimental electronic nerve interfaces made of metal, fiber optic technology would not be rejected or destroyed by the body's immune system.
Just think: Artificial limbs that feel! Realistic robotic arms! Fiber-optic links between warfighters' minds and bodies! Star Wars analogies abound.
Here's a round up of the headlines:
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