A 25-year-old man unable to move from the neck down recently did what many assumed impossible. After a knife attack that had left him paralyzed①， all he could move was his head. The man was operated on the brain by implanting② chip， which made him acquire the ability of beheavior mysically.
It sounded unbelievable， but the ideal of the operating system is very simple.The man’s skull was opended and implanteda special chip no larger than a baby aspirin. That implant has given him a few additional and precious abilities. When hooked to a special computer via a cable， the chip translates the young man’s thoughts into commands that let him move a cursor③ across a PC screen and open e-mail. He can draw a circle with a computer painting program. And he can use a robotic hook to perform simple tasks like picking up a candy and sliding it across a table. All he has to do is to think.
Welcome to the daunting④ yet promising world of “thought technology.” After more than two decades of research， the use of thoughts to manipulate computers and robots is no longer solely the stuff of science fiction.
In fact， employing brain implants as well as noninvasive methods of reading thoughts， have begun or been completed in the past year. For example， thousands of Parkinson’s disease patients have had special devices implanted in their brains to alleviate uncontrollable shaking and other symptoms. The implants themselves have improved， so the body doesn’t reject them as furiously. And significant development has been achieved in software used to interpret the brain’s signals and convert them into commands understood by computers.
But increased demand for thought technology remains the biggest reason for the field’s progress. Today， 4 million Americans live with paralysis resulting from any of a wide array of factors including car accidents， strokes， and cerebral⑤ palsy⑥. Their numbers could skyrocket as the U.S. population ages.
People with spinal-cord injuries， for example， often lose their ability to walk because the communications network between their brain and their legs has been interrupted. The brain still commands the leg muscles to move， so that spinal-cord avoids bening injured. Besides， the technology can be also used on military territory such as cars operated without man.
A code named “cognitive software” technology has greatly accelerated the pace of the popularity of implanted chips. Currently， the United States Sandia National Lavoratories are working together with car manufacturers Daimler-Chrysler and senior United States Defense Research Plannting Agency (DARPA) to stydy the information of the activity of drivers.In the near future， the chip implanted into the vrain will be able extract the thinking information automatically if the patient presses the button to call on the robot. If there is signal of fatigue in the brain， the robot called on will know the need of the patient， bringing pillows automatically.
The size of the computer extracting brain imformation for the 25-year-old patient is as large as a washing machine， which is obviously unfavorable for the product penetration. The size will be as small as a handheld computer in the next few years.
① paralyzev. 使麻痹；使瘫痪；使全面停顿
② implantv. 植入
③ cursorn. 屏幕上的光标
④ dauntingadj. 令人怯步的；使人气馁的
⑤ cerebral adj. 大脑的
⑥ palsyn. 麻痹，瘫痪，中风[U]
人脑与电脑零距离
美国一名25岁的高位瘫痪患者由于受到严重的创伤，这位患者头部以下的其他部位完全失去了行动能力，生活更是无法自理。这位青年已经接受了一项大脑芯片植入手术，并奇迹般地重新获得了 “行动”的能力。
这听起来也许不可思议，可其操作原理却非常清晰明确。医生们先将患者的头骨打开，在大脑某一部位植入一块小小的芯片。患者可通过这块芯片用自己的思维与计算机进行沟通，计算机会分析并翻译出患者的思维内容，进而作出相应的反映。
举个例子，患者可通过思维操作电脑进行电子邮件的收发、图片的绘制，甚至可以通过外界的机器手拿起一些小东西。而作为患者，要做的仅仅是想一想。
经过将近20年的研究， “思维技术”的新型概念终于得以实现。它包含的分支技术非常广泛，如脑部芯片植入技术、非入侵性思维读取技术等。
实际上，脑部芯片植入技术在很早以前就已出现在医疗领域，如帕金森氏综合症的一种治疗方法就是在患者的大脑中植入一种帮助患者减轻失控痛苦的装置。
随着医学技术的发展，现在的植入技术已经与人工智能紧密地联系在一起，电脑可以直接分析植入芯片所发送的人类思维信息。
毫无疑问，此项技术的研究并不是科学家们的兴趣所在，巨大的市场需求才是最根本的原因。例如，目前美国本土的瘫痪患者数量高达400万之多。随着美国社会老龄化速度进一步加快，这一数字也正呈现出递增态势。
比如，由于脊椎中枢的破坏，脊椎受损的患者往往最终会出现瘫痪，这是因为这些患者的脑部和腿之间失去了沟通的能力，直接导致了患者腿部的失控，通过 “思维技术”，脑部可直接通过芯片向腿部发出指令信号，这样就避开了受损的脊椎。另外，这项技术还可应用于无人驾驶车辆等军事领域。
一种代号为 “认知软件”的技术也大大加快了植入芯片的普及速度。目前，美国圣地亚国家实验室正携手汽车制造商戴姆勒-克莱斯勒以及美国高级国防研究规划局(DARPA)进行司机脑部活动信息的研究。在不久的将来，用户植入的芯片将可以自动分析用户的思维。比如，患者按动按钮召唤机器人时，脑部的植入芯片将会自动提取思维信息，如果当时的思维中存在疲倦等信号，被召唤的机器人就会了解到患者的需求，自动将靠垫或者枕头等设备拿过来。
那位25岁的患者提取脑部信息的计算机的体积非常大，大约像一台洗衣机那么大，显然不利于产品的普及。在未来几年中思维分析电脑的体积将会缩小到与掌上电脑差不多大小。
