CYBERNATICS: FUTURE IS HERE

We humans have limited capabilities. We sense the world in a restricted way, vision being the best of the senses. We understand the world in only 3 dimensions and communicate in a very slow, serial fashion called speech. But can this be improved on? Can we use technology to upgrade US? Can we enhance our abilities by linking the workings of our human body directly with technology? And the answer is YES. The field of science giving these answers is called CYBERNETICS

Cybernetics is the study of communication and control, involving regulatory feedback, in the living beings and machines, and in combination of the two. In other words, CYBERNETICS means studying information flow and feedbacks in humans and machines.

Term “Cybernetics” was coined by mathematician Norbert Wiener in 1948 and originate during World War II when need for electronic brain arises. Cybernetics is developed as the investigation of technique by which information is transformed with desired accuracy.

Before this let’s have a look at this information. Our nervous system coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions.There are three essential parts of the nervous system. These include the brain, the spine, and the nerves. The brain has three main parts that interact with the nervous system: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the medulla. Examples of the cerebrum's tasks include high-order thinking and learning, while the cerebellum manages learned automatic bodily functions, including walking, jumping, and running. The medulla processes simple body functions, such as breathing and digestion. The spine is the area where reflexes are made. Split-second decisions do not go back to the brain and then back to the organ or body part. This would take too long and the nerve impulse would arrive too late to prevent the stimulus from becoming reality. For instance, if a ball was thrown at an individual's head, the reflex to move out of the way would come from the spine, not the brain, increasing reaction time. The spine is also the "highway" which passes orders from the brain to motor nerves. There are four kinds of nerves- motor, sensory, afferent nerves and inter neurons. Messages carried in all nerve types travel in only one direction. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that function to process and transmit information. The number of neurons in the brain varies dramatically from species to species. One estimate puts the human brain at about 100 billion (10¹¹) neurons and 100 trillion (10¹⁴) synapses.

Similarly information is transmitted in machines. In machines we have design certain control mechanisms and algorithm to serve the same purpose.

According to Dr. Kevin Warwick, Prof. at Department Of Cybernetics of University of Reading, who hold a great place in field of cybernetics- “We humans can evolve into Cyborg (A Cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism, part human part machine). The possibility exists to enhance human capabilities. To harness the ever increasing abilities of machine intelligence, to enable extra sensory input and to communicate in a much richer way, using thought alone. In the future, I believe, we will be able to send signals to and from human and machine brains. We will be able to directly harness the memory and mathematical capabilities of machines. We will be able to communicate across the internet by means of thought signals alone. Human speech and language, as we know it, will become obsolete.”

What is Cyborg? Generally, the term "Cyborg" is used to refer to a man or woman with bionic, or robotic, implants. A cyborg is a human being, or other organic creature, whose body is wholly or partially replaced with artificial parts. The purpose of this may to enhance physical capabilities or replace damaged body parts. In theory, a person who has a prosthetic limb, or even contact lenses, is a cyborg but in the science fiction context the meaning is limited to enhancing the human body through sophisticated technology.

Probably the most famous piece of research under CYBERNETICS is done by Professor Warwick. He names his work as “Project Cyborg”, in which he had a chip implanted into his arm, with the aim of "becoming a Cyborg".

The first stage of this research, which began on August 24, 1998, involved a simple RFID transmitter being implanted beneath Professor Warwick's skin, and used to control doors, lights, heaters, and other computer-controlled devices based on his proximity. The main purpose of this experiment was to test the limits of what the body would accept, and how easy it would be to receive a meaningful signal from the chip.

The second stage involved a far more complex chip which was implanted on March 14, 2002, and which interfaced directly into Professor Warwick's nervous system. The electrode array inserted contained around 100 electrodes, of which 25 could be accessed at any one time, whereas the median nerve which it monitored carries many times that number of signals. The experiment proved successful, and the signal produced was detailed enough that a robot arm developed by Warwick's colleague, Dr Peter Kyberd, was able to mimic the actions of Professor Warwick's own arm.

A highly publicised extension to the experiment, in which a simpler array was implanted into Professor Warwick's wife-with the aim of creating some form of telepathy or empathy using the Internet to communicate the signal from afar-was also moderately successful, although the implant seems to have been less successful at stimulating signals than at measuring them. Finally, the effect of the implant on Professor Warwick's hand function was measured using the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP). It was feared that directly interfacing with the nervous system might cause some form of damage or interference, but no measurable effect was found.

Some applications of Cybernetics in our daily life which make our life more comfortable are-

Artificial limb - Scientists have had remarkable success taking signals from the brain that they now want to up that technology by creating a "neuron controlled artificial limb" that will restore full motor and sensory capabilities. This limb would revolutionize life and will look, perform and feel like the real thing.
Wearable Motherboard - Scientists created the first computerized T-shirt using threads that allow electric currents to carry information to and from the body. Designed to monitor people who need 24-hour medical attention, this lightweight shirt can be worn by anyone from infants to soldiers to senior citizens.
Zen-Sorial car - The car that "senses" the driver by measuring her/his biometric data, and then uses colors, music and fragrances to put the driver in a state of relaxed attentiveness. Sensors collect data about the driver's condition. A biometric Polar watch measures the driver's pulse and a "Mobile Eye" camera records the driving behavior. Then a board computer evaluates the data and on that basis, the system sends various impulses: four Sharp LCD monitors will emit stimulating (orange/yellow), relaxing (blue/violet) or neutral (green) color patterns into the driver's line of vision. They are integrated into the interior paneling, which lights up and bathes the cockpit in suitable light.
Electronic underwear warns of heart attack - The garment will automatically call emergency services when necessary, for example if the wearer suffers a cardiac arrest. This represents a considerable advance on the mobile phones which tell you when you're having a heart attack, as you don't have to hold the underwear in front of your heart for it to work. The device uses sensors woven into the fabric of the underwear. These detect electrical fluctuations on the skin, which are used to tell how rapidly and with what force the heart is beating. It also records activity and stress levels, both important factors in determining a person's risk of a heart attack.

Future Aspects:

Control your TV using your thoughts - Warwick is testing a device designed to increase the independence of individuals. In the study, a patient who is unable to use his hands or arms due to a spinal cord injury was able to both control a computer cursor and perform useful tasks, using his thoughts and the Cyber kinetics ' Brain Gate Neural Interface System. The System converts neural signals into an output signal under the person's own control. After having been implanted the sensor portion of the Brain Gate on the surface of the brain where thoughts of hand and arm movement originate, the first participant in the study, Mr. Matthew Nagle, saw his life changing. In the past few weeks, he has been able to control his TV using a computer cursor that moves with his thoughts.
Rats' brain waves could find trapped people - Rats have an exquisitely sensitive sense of smell and can crawl just about anywhere. This combination makes them ideal candidates for sniffing out buried survivors. Rats equipped with radios that transmit their brainwaves could soon be helping to locate earthquake survivors buried in the wreckage of collapsed buildings. For that, the animals need to be taught to home in on people, and they must also signal their position to rescuers on the surface.
Smart skin- 'Smart Skin' is a new technology (still in research) intended to be integrated into clothing so it can monitor your health, sense touch and air-flow, and respond to heat - a "second skin".
When Computers Finally Hear Us - Right now, most cell phones can understand you if you tell them "Call Dad" or "Martha" and they have some sort of voice dial capability. What they can't pull off is deciphering a steady stream of dictation into an E-mail, or taking down a long string of verbal commands to navigate in a program. The sticking point with these applications is processing power. But researchers think they can solve this problem, and the implications for designers could be huge.

Conclusion:

From all above discussion we conclude that cybernetics is going to change our live in coming days. It has numerous advantages. Through this paralyzed person will be able to walk or drive car. A blind person will be able to walk smoothly. A patient can be able to know about his heart related problem in advance. A doctor can able to know medical history of a patient whom he had never before met. Transfer of thoughts through words will be speaking of old days. People express there thoughts through telepathy. There are many other example which show that how cybernetics can change our life and vision of life.