It is a proposal, published in 2019 in Frontiers in Neuroscience by researchers associated with UC Berkeley and the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. The paper describes a future discipline it calls neuralnanorobotics: nanoscale robots that would travel through the bloodstream, cross the blood–brain barrier, position themselves among or even inside brain cells, and relay information wirelessly between the brain and cloud computing in real time. The authors call the result a human brain/cloud interface, and suggest it might be possible within 20 to 30 years.
The paper presents these robots as future technology. Nothing like them has been built or demonstrated, and the paper reports no experiment showing one working.
On the record: the paper points to one real experiment as an early step. BrainNet, published by University of Washington researchers in Scientific Reports in 2019, let three people jointly play a Tetris-like game by sending yes-or-no decisions from brain to brain. It used EEG caps to read signals and magnetic stimulation of the visual cortex to deliver them, with every participant wearing equipment and taking part willingly. It involved no nanotechnology.
A note on words. The same paper uses the phrase "transparent shadowing" for experiencing parts of another person's life through such an interface. It is unrelated to transparent brain-computer interfaces, which are named for a see-through material.
Why it matters here: statements recorded in this archive describe everyone being connected, and a proposal like this one shows that the idea has been written down by researchers. It does not show that it exists. For what nanoscale technology can do today, see How small is nanotechnology, and what can it do today?.
- Martins et al., 'Human Brain/Cloud Interface', Frontiers in Neuroscience 13:112, 29 March 2019
- The paper presents neuralnanorobots as future technology and suggests 20 to 30 years
- BrainNet (Scientific Reports, 2019): three-person brain-to-brain interface using EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation, with consenting participants
Open questions
- A published proposal records an idea and its authors' estimate. It is not evidence that the technology exists or that the estimate is right.
References
- Human Brain/Cloud Interface — Frontiers in Neuroscience (2019)
- BrainNet: a multi-person brain-to-brain interface — Scientific Reports (2019)
- How small is nanotechnology, and what can it do today?
The proposal is cited as a proposal; BrainNet is cited for its own published experiment.
Not independently verified
This concept reports a published proposal and one published experiment. It does not establish that any brain/cloud interface exists.
Topics: Nanotechnology · Technology · Speculation