Monkeying around (Wizbang)

Do some scientists have too much time on their hands? From the Japan Times Online-

KYOTO (Kyodo) A team of Japanese and U.S. researchers succeeded in transmitting a monkey's brain signals over the Internet from the United States to cause a humanoid robot in Japan to walk, the Japanese team leader said Tuesday.
"There may come an era when you could move a remotely located robot as if it is yourself and play tennis with it," said Mitsuo Kawato, research director of a Japan Science and Technology Agency research institute in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture.

The U.S. researchers at Duke University in North Carolina pinned down correlated patterns between a monkey's brain nerve signals and leg movements. The monkey was trained to walk upright on a treadmill, its brain studded with electrodes to read the signals.

They are trying to prove a monkey can move a robot half way around the world? What possible use could that have?

Among the technology's potential developments would be prosthetic legs that could be moved by a paralyzed person's thoughts.

Now that's interesting. A quadripelegic loses so much use of their body, you would seem to think they have to feel trapped. This would give them freedom, if the technology works and can be applied to humans.

The 6 million dollar man(with adjustments for inflation of course) may not be fiction anymore.

Hat tip- Japundit who quips- 'Wouldn't playing tennis with yourself result in endless rallies?'

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Comments (21)

What practical applications... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by ExSubNuke | January 17, 2008 7:22 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

ExSubNuke:

What practical applications are there? How bout bomb disposal. Toxic waste cleanup. Responding to any dangerous situation.

(and on the super geek side....) Battlemech's baby.

Posted on January 17, 2008 07:22

Also controlling a humanoid... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by sean nyc/aa | January 17, 2008 8:35 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

sean nyc/aa:

Also controlling a humanoid robot in space or exploring another planet. With this application, however, there could be problems with signal delay.

Posted on January 17, 2008 08:35

>They are trying to prove a... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Paul | January 17, 2008 9:13 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

Paul:

>They are trying to prove a monkey can move a robot half way around the world? What possible use could that have?

Dumbest thing I've read all week.

Posted on January 17, 2008 09:13

Oh its all fun and games un... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Jon | January 17, 2008 9:17 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

Jon:

Oh its all fun and games until skynet goes active.

Posted on January 17, 2008 09:17

I, for one, welcome our new... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by BlogDog | January 17, 2008 9:29 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

BlogDog:

I, for one, welcome our new robot monkey overlords.

Posted on January 17, 2008 09:29

Actually, this was an exper... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by eyeofthebeholder | January 17, 2008 9:43 AM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)

eyeofthebeholder:

Actually, this was an experiment/investigation into the methods used to pull off the Bush Presidency these past 7 years.

Posted on January 17, 2008 09:43

Typical neocon antiscience ... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by astigafa | January 17, 2008 9:53 AM | Score: -4 (4 votes cast)

astigafa:

Typical neocon antiscience bias. Research is bad; ignorance is good. The world is 6,000 years old and Geo. W is a genius.

Monkey talk, in short.

Now, point and grunt. Oog-ook, y'all.

Posted on January 17, 2008 09:53

Endless rallies? Perhaps. D... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by wheels | January 17, 2008 10:24 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

wheels:

Endless rallies? Perhaps. Depending on the person, perhaps no rallies at all.

Posted on January 17, 2008 10:24

Nice, astigafa. The left s... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by Frazetta_girl | January 17, 2008 10:35 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Frazetta_girl

Nice, astigafa. The left side of the spectrum wants to ban nuclear power, mandate cars that will kill everyone in a crash because they are tissue thin, destroy pharmaceutical companies, put doctors and neurosurgeons under state control, and mandate mass transportation of the serfs to their ant-farm cities.

And you make caveman sounds at we conservatives, who are fighting for clean, non-polluting nuclear power, solar cells, and wind farms? Ha.

Remember, godless barbarian of the left, it is the Catholic church that has funded scientific research for thousands of years. The Christian-founded United States of America has unleashed capitalism and freedom that has brought an end to suffering and disease world-wide.

It is the secular cesspools of the left where people live in misery, the bastians of Marxism like China and Africa and the UK. And of course, the worst places to be are in the countries embraced by the left as their favorite buddies: jihadist nations like Iran.

Someday you'll need an artery cleaned, or you'll have an infection that needs antibiotics, and you'll gladly accept the wonders that our capitalist, freedom loving society makes available to you. I doubt you'll stop biting the hand that saves you, though.

Posted on January 17, 2008 10:35

"...biting the hand..."... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by epador | January 17, 2008 11:00 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

epador:

"...biting the hand..."

It'll be his robot doing the biting.

Posted on January 17, 2008 11:00

As far as practical applica... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by yetanotherjohn | January 17, 2008 11:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

yetanotherjohn:

As far as practical applications, think about exporting jobs. Imagine parking your car in a robotic repair garage. A mechanic on the other side of the world willing to work for 1/4 the wages of a local mechanic remotely repairs the vehicle. Or your maid telecomutes from across the border.

Posted on January 17, 2008 11:04

Wow, who'd of guessed that ... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by 914 | January 17, 2008 11:04 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

914:

Wow, who'd of guessed that RPs brainwaves were so...so strong.

On the other side of the le... (Below threshold)

13. Posted by brainy435 | January 17, 2008 2:05 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

brainy435:

On the other side of the ledger, phone sex looks like it will get MUCH more interresting....

Posted on January 17, 2008 14:05

Heh. I should have said mor... (Below threshold)

14. Posted by brainy435 | January 17, 2008 2:06 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Heh. I should have said more "hands on."

Posted on January 17, 2008 14:06

They are trying to prove... (Below threshold)

15. Posted by Veeshir | January 17, 2008 2:20 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Veeshir:

You don't read sci-fi do you? Waldo, Inc. would give you a reason and think about people working in dangerous environments. What if you are in your nice, safe, warm lab in Antarctica while your robot moves around and does whatever it is that scientists do in Antarctica.
Or think about space exploration. You could stay on the ship and do stuff outside, or stay in your moonbase while your robot goes out and mines all the green cheese.

This is very useful.

Posted on January 17, 2008 14:20

astigafa gives us this bril... (Below threshold)

16. Posted by SPQR | January 17, 2008 2:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SPQR:

astigafa gives us this brilliant moment:

Typical neocon antiscience bias. Research is bad; ignorance is good. The world is 6,000 years old and Geo. W is a genius. Monkey talk, in short. Now, point and grunt. Oog-ook, y'all.

astigafa makes a comment about ignorance and does us the favor of demonstrating it rather brazenly. There is nothing in the neoconservative movement that has adopted the "Young Earth" form of Creationism.

So what we see if astigafa ignorantly labeling neocons as believing something they don't. The idea that Jempty is a neocon is of course yet another example of astigafa's inability to actually think.

Not to mention the usual juvenile behavior.

Posted on January 17, 2008 14:57

17. Posted by LoveAmerica Immigrant | January 17, 2008 3:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

LoveAmerica Immigrant:

Typical neocon antiscience bias. Research is bad; ignorance is good. The world is 6,000 years old and Geo. W is a genius. Monkey talk, in short. Now, point and grunt. Oog-ook, y'all.
-------------------------------------
This must be another Brian 's joke. Someone must be really ignorant, lazy, or not so smart to fall for such stupid spin.

Posted on January 17, 2008 15:25

This will get the idiots fr... (Below threshold)

18. Posted by spurwing plover | January 17, 2008 3:44 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

spurwing plover:

Ths wll gt th dts frm PT,PRMRL PRMTS, ll pst knw hw ths wcks rct t ths knd f dtc

Posted on January 17, 2008 15:44

19. Posted by Peter F. | January 17, 2008 3:58 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Peter F.:

Kicking my butt at the $1/$2 NLH tables at Full Tilt Poker.

Oddly, it's been working lately.

I was a little suspicious of my opponent's all-in with 4-2 off-suit. Hmmmm....

Posted on January 17, 2008 15:58

"Typical neocon antiscie... (Below threshold)

20. Posted by LaMedusa | January 17, 2008 11:43 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

LaMedusa:

"Typical neocon antiscience bias. Research is bad; ignorance is good. The world is 6,000 years old and Geo. W is a genius."

And astigafa's incoherent, off-topic comments are a waste of band-width. A theory that's already been proven countless times.

Posted on January 17, 2008 23:43

I read that (what possible ... (Below threshold)

21. Posted by Synova | January 18, 2008 2:21 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Synova:

I read that (what possible use?) as a rhetorical question that was then *answered*. The application applied to prosthetics would be invaluable for people who cannot move their bodies.

Plus all the other cool possibilities that people mentioned. Battlemechs, yeah!

But only astigafa could take a blog post that is essentially, "Wow, look at this cool science weirdness fellow geeks!" and get "Neo-cons hate science."

It's a talent.

Posted on January 18, 2008 02:21

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