This is the predecessor to datajacks and DNI? Maybe?

I would think it's more along the lines of a predecessor to cyberlimbs, actually... but intriguing news nonetheless.

Sadly, no. This isn't really that cutting-edge news, either. Machines that let people manipulate a cursor via brainwaves are old hat, and we have monkeys doing the same thing this gent does. What the output applies to isn't that technologically interesting. Well, not nearly as interesting as the input mechanism, anyways.

The thing that keeps this from being a datajack precursor is the lack of proper two-way communication. We've been able to read brainwaves for a long time, but being able to feed back useful data has been a little beyond us. So no simsense for you until you can leap over that hurdle.

the big difference between this experiment and the one fromthis thread

is that this experiment actually tied the output back into the person's musculature, while the monkey experiment only interfaced with a physical mechanism. A robot arm, so to speak.

but both are extremely interesting studies just the same.

Paralyzed in a swimming accident? What, did he get run over by a boat? Starve his brain of that much oxygen?

Sounds like moving neural impulses to the limbs via a method other than the spinal cord.

Isn't that how reaction enhancements work? Replacing the spinal cord with something faster?

Though I doubt this system is faster, its a step towards shadowrun.

As long as it's the "Golden age of technology" part of Shadowrun (Intelligence enhancing cyberware and bioware!) not the "life is brutal and potentially violent" part!

Looping it back into controlling the musculature is definately a fairly big step, implying that they now have a good enough understanding of neurons to identify appropriate ones and feed computer controlled signals to them. Definately a precursor to skillwires and reaction enhancers.

IMHO, however, sending the messages to the muscles faster would raise problems in terms of control via feedback, even if the feedback signals were similarly increaced. You move your arm, your brain dosen't act fast enough to tighten the muscles on the other side of your arm to stop it moving, the muscles on the other side of the arm then tighten which either stops the arm (off target) or you over-compensate (sending the arm back off target on the other side). You get the same problem in robotics. People (in cambridge university I think) once made a super-fast robot with one flaw, the control systems weren't fast enough, the robot literaly shook itself to pieces as it over-compensated one way then the next.

Not that I'd say people with wired reflexes would shake themselves to pieces or that I'd disallow cybered reflex enhancers in my games but I can't see cybernetic reflex enhancers in real life for a while to come. Having a cyberzombie shake itself to pieces would be interesting though.

Aside from that abstracting mental images is not a huge step forards. My sister's doctorate is on identifying directional (forwards, backwards, left, right ETC) signals from the brain via electrodes placed on the head.

hmm, if im not misstaken wired reflexes hotwires the subconsious (badspelling i know) and tru that effect disconnect at tiems the consius isgnal feed so your going on basic instincts. and as we know, insticts are way faster then formulating words in yout head. the very description of wired reflexes talk about people when reaction to something that af fisrt seems like a threat (sharp sound behind you suddenly or sudden movement at the edge of your vision) they end up maybe drawing the theyre gun and shooting before they are even consius aware of the sound (more or less).

point is that you dont think up, down, left, right when you want to pick up something, you just lock your sight on it and think pick up. the brainthen does all the work as a background task so that you can keep prosessing other stimuli in your consious part of the brain. and we all know that we can get ourself to move very fast (not in distance but in limb speed), thats what makes bare fist fights (mass*speed you know) but doing it with accurasy is something else. speeding up the feedback loop will enable people to react faster to outside stimuli and be more accurate when trying to catch something. and that is what wired reflexes is in a basic sense...