Minds and Machines - A Conversation with Miguel Nicolelis

This book is based on an in-depth conversation between Howard Burton and Miguel Nicolelis, Professor of Neurobiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology and Neuroscience and Orthopaedic Surgery and Co-Director of the Center for Neuroengineering at Duke University. This thought-provoking conversation dives into Miguel Nicolelis’ extensive and important research for over 20 years now and how he has been blurring the line between science fiction and science fact, developing increasingly sophisticated ways of harnessing the thoughts of rats, monkeys and humans to drive mechanical devices in the rapidly emerging field of brain-machine interfaces. As he continues to explore how best to apply this fascinating technology to liberate paralysis victims and Parkinson’s sufferers from their neurological constraints, Nicolelis remains focused on challenging conventional wisdom of what the brain is and how it works, consistently probing the evolving frontier between body and mind. This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, From Science Fiction to Science Fact, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter: I. Revolutionary Rumblings - Beyond 1:1 maps II. Plowing Ahead - Pivotal results and scientific scepticism III. Interface - Powering robots with monkey minds IV. Against Reductionism - The pernicious influence of physicists V. Incarnating Our Surroundings - How the brain blurs “outside” and “inside” VI. Imposing Representations - How the brain interacts with the world VII. Distributed vs. Local - The big issue VIII. Technological Applications - From medical rehabilitation to a joint operating system IX. Getting Metaphysical - The brain as a reality-mediator X. Final Questions - Big ones, dark ones and ontological ones About Ideas Roadshow Conversations Series: Presented in an accessible, conversational format, Ideas Roadshow books not only explore frontline academic research featuring world-leading researchers but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research.