There are a bunch of people out there who are into turning themselves into cyborgs or adding to their natural-born abilities. Some of them say they're transhumanists, but others are just super geeks willing to experiment on themselves for fun. (Most folks are probably willing to wait a bit to make sure brain implants are actually safe.) Here are just a few projects that are working on giving lab rats some cool new upgrades.

• Rats have been given an artificial sense -- the ability to detect infrared light. An IR sensor was attached to the rat's head and after a month of training, the animal could reliably sense when researchers directed otherwise invisible IR beams of light on it. [url]
• Some neuroengineers have developed a fully implantable and wirelessly rechargeable brain device that could serve as a brain-computer interface. This implant has lasted for over a year in lab animals, and it can observe, record and process information directly from dozens of brain neurons. [url]
• Rat brains on two separate continents have been connected to work in tandem. The researchers are already working on connecting the brains of four rats at the same time, as well as starting on brains of larger mammals.... (insert ominous music here) [url]

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One of the most inspiring examples of a person using prosthetic limbs is Oscar Pistorius (aka the "Blade Runner") -- who will be the first leg amputee to compete with carbon fiber feet at the London Olympics. Pistorius was previously disqualified from the 2008 Olympics, but he'll be allowed to compete this year, potentially paving the way for other athletes to move over from the Paralympics. Here are just a few technological advances for artificial limbs that could create some cyborg-olympic athletes.

• Connecting severed nerves with robotic limbs needs a direct neural-prosthetic interface that could be made out of biocompatible polymers. The research could create prosthetics that are directly controlled by a user's thoughts, but such a system is still many years away from being a reality. [url]
• Paralyzed rats with spinal cord damage were given robotic legs that could respond to commands from the rats' brains, and these rats re-learned how to walk with several weeks of training. Maybe someday these little cyborgs will be as big as the Zhu Zhu pet craze... [url]
• Brain-computer interfaces are improving quite a bit, and one patient named S3 has 96 hair-sized electrodes implanted in her brain that can control a robotic arm well enough to lift a glass for a drink. The device used by S3 is a new version of Braingate that requires extensive training, but presumably, the technology will get even better and allow more quadriplegic people to have robotic help. [url]

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Microsoft's new tablet computer was announced with a bit of fanfare -- and curiously, a stylus. When Apple introduced its touchscreens (not counting the Newton), Steve Jobs dismissively tossed away the idea of using a stylus and said the finger is the best pointing device around. Well, stylus technology is getting better all the time, and here are just a few examples of some styluses/styli that might beat the finger.

• The Collusion iPad pen isn't just a piece of plastic in the shape of a pen. This pen-like device uses an ultrasound system instead of the iPad's built-in touchscreen to provide better accuracy. Plus it comes with collaboration software and handwriting recognition, so you can share your drawings and notes with other users. (NB: This Kickstarter project hasn't ended yet.) [url]
• The Cosmonaut is a big stylus that is designed to mimic a dry erase marker. This *was* a Kickstarter project, and now it's currently selling for about $25 (shipping not included). [url]
• The PressurePen is an open hardware stylus for the iPad (and Android platform) that gives users a pressure-sensitive way to draw on a touchscreen. Okay, so how many Kickstarter stylus projects are there?!? LOTS. At least this one is open source.... [url]

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Computers have used the keyboard and mouse combination for several decades now, so it seems like it's about time for some new input devices. It looks like gaming consoles have introduced some interesting alternatives that are a bit more useful than the joystick. The mouse and QWERTY aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but here are some quick links on some other kinds of input devices.

• Over the last 30 years, retired engineer Ken Yankelevitz has been making game controllers for quadriplegics. When Yankelevitz retires from this hobby, there may be no economical replacement. [url]
• A foot-controlled input device makes Dance Dance Revolution look pretty advanced. But unlike the DDR footpad, it can be programmed to do: upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart... [url]
• There's a really small touchpad that's only one square millimeter in size. Just wait about 18 months for the next one to be half as small. [url]
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The keyboard and mouse may be replaced by a variety of other user interfaces. Touch screens seem to be getting more popular, but "touchless" controllers that interpret gestures are getting some traction, too. Here are some articles on how we might (not) be interacting with our computers, phones, tablets, etc.

• Electrocorticography could create interesting brain-computer interfaces that almost read a person's mind. Removing a portion of your skull is just a small price to pay... [url]
• If you were never too keen on mouse/trackpads (keyboard shortcuts only, please!), gestural interfaces might be a bad idea. Maybe we should wait for more standardized gestural interfaces before buying any shiny new tablet. [url]
• A bunch of gestures have already been patented, so look forward to many more lawsuits over how users can wave/touch/shake their phones. Slide to unlock is obviously not an obvious gesture. [url]
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Cyborgs are on the way whether we're ready for them or not. The Segway was supposed to revolutionize transportation, but it hasn't quite caught on. But there are a few other personal mobility vehicles that could help folks get around more easily. Here are just a few.

• A recent grad from UC Berkeley walked across a stage to get his diploma using a robot exoskeleton. The stripped-down exoskeleton cost about $15,000 -- down from $90,000+ versions that are on the market already. [url]
• Eythor Bender demonstrates his robot exoskeleton work for a TedTalk. Military use for these exoskeletons would allow soldiers to carry around a lot more gear... [url]
• The Walk Again Project aims to create brain-machine interfaces (BMI) in the form of neuroprosthetic devices that can control exoskeletal robots for mobility assistance to persons with severe paralysis. The brain implant technology sounds pretty ambitious -- and could be useful for a lot of other applications, too. [url]
• Robot Suit HAL is another robot exoskeleton designed to interpret the wearer's intentions for movement and assist with those movements. Hopefully, it will also allow users named Dave to open the pod bay doors. [url]
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Keyboards and mice have been the traditional input devices for a lot of computer users. Recently, though, touchscreens and other devices are gaining in popularity. Here are a few more interesting examples of ways to interact with computers.

• A Microsoft researcher has collected a historical gallery of devices such as pen inputs, trackballs, joysticks, etc. This isn't an exhaustive collection of input devices, but it includes some interesting artifacts -- like the OrbiTouch. [url]
• A bunch of "mixed reality" interfaces have been demonstrated where the user interacts with objects while a vision system (or some other collection of sensors) tries to interpret the actions as user input. Basically, just imagine combining Kinect with random common objects... [url]
• An artist has created a video game where the players use their tongues to control a virtual bowling ball. This "French kissing" interface probably has a bit of an "eww" factor for most gamers -- but maybe there are applications for quadriplegics. [url]
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Technology gets smaller and smaller and ever more personalized as it matures. Computers used to fill entire rooms (and they still can...), but it's far more common for powerful computational devices to be able to fit in a pocket. Curiously, though, wearing gadgets seems to still be largely restricted to wristwatches. Maybe that'll change, and we'll actually get computers in our shoes someday. We'd love to see more examples, so here are a few links on some technology that we might wear in the future.

• BMW sponsored a bunch of "urban transportation concepts" for wearable personal transportation. But a lot of these designs look much less useful than a Segway. [url]
• Really small supercapacitors grown on fibers could create a variety of textiles that could act like batteries. We probably won't be wearing batteries anytime soon, but flexible batteries might be useful. [url]
• A paralyzed woman has learned to control a BrainGate implant and has used it as a computer input device for over 1,000 days. She can perform "point and click" actions with >90% accuracy. [url]
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Everyone universally hated 'Clippy' when it popped up and tried to be helpful. So imagine the hate that could arise if a humanoid robot wondered around and tried to be helpful all the time. Thankfully, the field of robotics is not quite up to letting such a machine loose on the general population, but plenty of researchers are working on how to improve human-bot relations. C3PO has some early ancestors in a few of the following links.

• Georgia Tech has a robot named Simon that knows when he has your attention -- with about 80% accuracy. Maybe they should rename the bot to Simona and get about half of the population's attention. [url]
• The Geminoid DK robot has been getting some attention... for being really, really creepy-looking. [url]
• Binghamton University researchers are developing software for judging people's expressions -- anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise. Not necessarily in that order. [url]
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