Computers November 3, 2008 Edition

Computers

November 3, 2008 edition of CBS's 60 Minutes explores one of the final frontiers of science: the human brain. The 60 Minutes episode focuses on an emerging field of technology known as Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). Brain-computer interface enables a human user to influence a computer solely with his or her thoughts, using the brain as an input device to bypass any need for a mouse or a keyboard. The possibilities of BCI are limitless and represent one of the most fruitful applications of the computer. However, BCI is only possible because of a strong foundation of research into computer technology. The transformation of the microchip into portable, multi-purpose devices has become the most significant technological changes to take place in American, as well as global society.

Before the invention of the microchip, personal computers would have been all but impossible. The microchip has allowed computer ownership to proliferate and become the primary devices for communication and work in the United States. Computers, and the microchip technology they rely on, have stimulated commerce and transformed the way Americans live and work.

The microchip is not only responsible for the PC revolution; it may also be the key to unlocking further research into BCI. Users of BCI will come to depend on the microchip for their communications needs as well as their mobility. As the microchip shrinks to power devices like the iPhone, it will also be possible to shrink a microchip so that it can be embedded into the human brain. Although used as radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging on animals, a microchip has never before been implanted into BCI users. Right now, BCI users rely on traditional computer technologies. Their brains are hooked up to the computer using electrodes. Those electrodes serve as input devices, much as a mouse or keyboard. However, microchip implantation may be the next step in this revolutionary field of research.

Another reason why the shrinking of the microchip remains the most significant technological change to take place in American society is because of the cellular phone and handheld device revolution. Mobile phones are essentially handheld computers with microchips and firmware. They help keep Americans connected with their families, friends, and coworkers. The same technology used to make small devices more powerful can also be used to help the disabled and victims of disease regain their ability to talk and walk. The individuals featured in the 60 Minutes segment were "locked into" their bodies; their brains functioned normally but they lost all control over their bodies. Not being able to talk or walk, people with severe paralysis need to interface their brains with a computer. Microchip technology makes that possible.