Presenter
Sumner Norman, Caltech
My research aims to give abilities back to people living with a neurological injury or disease. Throughout my time as a postdoc at Caltech, I developed a new, less invasive method for high performance brain-computer interfacing or “BCI” based on ultrasound. I’m a Scientist at Convergent Research, BCI Strategist at AE Studio, and a visiting affiliate at Caltech. I trained as an NSF graduate research fellow in mechanical and aerospace engineering, but got my start in solid state physics and mechatronics...
Summary:
This talk summary discusses the capabilities of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) in the context of whole brain emulation (WBE). The speaker introduces three versions of WBE: weak, moderate, and strong, with the strong version encompassing whole brain intelligence and consciousness. BCIs are crucial in achieving whole brain functional emulation (WBF), as they enable the gathering of information from multiple channels, although this is still far from the number of neurons in the brain. The speaker then explores the bottom-up and top-down approaches to WBE, with bottom-up focusing on scaling up from the neuron or sub-neuron level and top-down using techniques like functional MRI to observe the whole brain. Both approaches have their challenges, such as scalability and achieving single neuron resolution. The speaker also mentions the progress BCIs have made in neuroprosthetics but highlights the need for improved electrode technology to cover a significant portion of the human cortex. The development of minimally invasive long-lasting brain implants and the use of ultrasound for brain imaging are also discussed. Finally, the speaker acknowledges the technological challenges involved in developing ultrasound-enabled brain imaging.