Posted on June 25, 2008 by Bored Larry

Brain-machine interfaces have done quite a bit in helping handicapped individuals interact with prosthetic limbs, computers and other humans, but a new neural implant concocted at the University of Florida could make all those past devices look archaic. Put simply, researchers have discovered a method that would enable brain-machine interfaces to “adapt to a person’s behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently.” Until now, the brain was the instrument doing all the talking while the computer simply accepted commands; with this method, “the computer could have a say in that conversation, too.” In all seriousness, this type of learning mechanism could be game-changing in the world of physical therapy, but we hesitate to give something mechanical inside of our body too much free will, ya dig?