Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
任何足夠先進的技術(shù)，與魔法無異。
——Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
亞瑟·查理斯·克拉克爵士
腦機接口，用意念完成人類躍遷
譯者：武守晗
校對：倪凌暉
策劃：劉 璠
Using thought to control machines
用意念控制機器
Brain-computer interfaces may change what it means to be human
“腦機接口技術(shù)”可能會改變生而為人的意義
本文選自 Quartz | 取經(jīng)號原創(chuàng)翻譯
關(guān)注 取經(jīng)號，回復關(guān)鍵詞“外刊”
獲取《經(jīng)濟學人》等原版外刊獲得方法
TECHNOLOGIES are often billed as transformative. For William Kochevar, the term is justified. Mr Kochevar is paralysed below the shoulders after a cycling accident, yet has managed to feed himself by his own hand. This remarkable feat is partly thanks to electrodes, implanted in his right arm, which stimulate muscles. But the real magic lies higher up. Mr Kochevar can control his arm using the power of thought. His intention to move is reflected in neural activity in his motor cortex; these signals are detected by implants in his brain and processed into commands to activate the electrodes in his arms.
技術(shù)往往被認為是有變革意義的。對于威廉·科切瓦來說，誠然如此。科切瓦騎自行車發(fā)生事故導致肩膀以下癱瘓，但他設(shè)法做到了自己獨立飲食。這一顯著成就的達成部分要歸功于植入他右臂用來刺激肌肉的電極。但是真正的魔力遠不止于此?？魄型呖梢杂靡庾R控制手臂。他的動作意識反射在他運動皮層的神經(jīng)活動中;這些信號被他大腦中的植入物檢測到,信號隨后被處理成命令從而激活他手臂中的電極。
stimulate / ?st?mjule?t; ˋst?mj??let/ v ~ sb/sth (to sth) make sb/sth more active or alert; arouse sb/sth 使某人[某事物]奮發(fā)起來;刺激﹑激勵某人[某事物]
An ability to decode thought in this way may sound like science fiction. But brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) like the BrainGate system used by Mr Kochevar provide evidence that mind-control can work. Researchers are able to tell what words and images people have heard and seen from neural activity alone. Information can also be encoded and used to stimulate the brain. Over 300,000 people have cochlear implants, which help them to hear by converting sound into electrical signals and sending them into the brain. Scientists have “injected” data into monkeys’ heads, instructing them to perform actions via electrical pulses.
通過這種方法來解碼意識可能聽起來像科幻小說中的情節(jié)。但是，像科切瓦所使用的“腦門系統(tǒng)”這樣的“腦機接口技術(shù)”證明了意識控制是可行的。無論是人們聽到的語句還是看到的圖像，研究人員都能夠從單獨的神經(jīng)活動中將其分辨出來。他們也可以對信息編碼并用于刺激大腦神經(jīng)。人工耳蝸將聲音轉(zhuǎn)換成電信號并將其發(fā)送到大腦來幫助人們聽到聲音。已有超過30萬人使用這項技術(shù)來助聽。科學家則將數(shù)據(jù)“注入”猴子的大腦，指示它們通過電脈沖來執(zhí)行行動。
As our Technology Quarterly in this issue explains, the pace of research into BCIs and the scale of its ambition are increasing. Both America’s armed forces and Silicon Valley are starting to focus on the brain. Facebook dreams of thought-to-text typing. Kernel, a startup, has $100m to spend on neurotechnology. Elon Musk has formed a firm called Neuralink; he thinks that, if humanity is to survive the advent of artificial intelligence, it needs an upgrade. Entrepreneurs envisage a world in which people can communicate telepathically, with each other and with machines, or acquire superhuman abilities, such as hearing at very high frequencies.
正如我們“技術(shù)季刊”對這一問題所說的那樣，對腦機接口的研究速度和決心與日俱增。美軍和硅谷都開始關(guān)注大腦領(lǐng)域。Facebook正在研究如何用意識輸入文字。創(chuàng)業(yè)公司Kernel在神經(jīng)科技領(lǐng)域投入1億美元。埃隆·馬斯克成立Neuralink公司。他認為，如果人類要在人工智能時代生存下去，那我們就需要自我升級。在企業(yè)家們設(shè)想的世界中，人們可以通過心靈溝通，包括人類彼此之間的溝通還有人類與機器之間的溝通。人類還可以獲得超能力，比如聽到很高頻率的聲音。
These powers, if they ever materialise, are decades away. But well before then, BCIs could open the door to remarkable new applications. Imagine stimulating the visual cortex to help the blind, forging new neural connections in stroke victims or monitoring the brain for signs of depression. By turning the firing of neurons into a resource to be harnessed, BCIs may change the idea of what it means to be human.
要實現(xiàn)這些能力還需要幾十年的時間。但是在那之前，“腦機接口技術(shù)”可以為非凡的新應(yīng)用程序打開大門。想象這樣一種場景：刺激視覺皮層來幫助盲人，為中風患者建立新的神經(jīng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，監(jiān)測大腦抑郁癥的跡象。通過把神經(jīng)元的發(fā)射轉(zhuǎn)化為可利用的資源，腦機接口可能會改變生而為人的意義。
That thinking feeling
Sceptics scoff. Taking medical BCIs out of the lab into clinical practice has proved very difficult. The BrainGate system used by Mr Kochevar was developed more than ten years ago, but only a handful of people have tried it out. Turning implants into consumer products is even harder to imagine. The path to the mainstream is blocked by three formidable barriers—technological, scientific and commercial.
質(zhì)疑者當然會嘲笑。將醫(yī)用“腦機接口技術(shù)”從實驗室轉(zhuǎn)移到臨床實踐已被證明是非常困難的。科切瓦使用的腦門系統(tǒng)是十多年前開發(fā)的，但只有少數(shù)人使用過。要實現(xiàn)大腦植入物的商品化更是難以想象。擺在“腦機接口技術(shù)”面前的有三道難關(guān):技術(shù)，科學和商業(yè)。
scoff / sk?f; US sk??f; sk?f/ v I, Ipr] ~ (at sb/sth) speak contemptuously (about or to sb/sth); jeer or mock 嘲弄; 嘲笑
Start with technology. Non-invasive techniques like an electroencephalogram (EEG) struggle to pick up high-resolution brain signals through intervening layers of skin, bone and membrane. Some advances are being made—on EEG caps that can be used to play virtual-reality games or control industrial robots using thought alone.
先從技術(shù)難關(guān)談起。像腦電圖（EEG）這樣的非侵入技術(shù)很難獲取高分辨率的腦信號，因為它要通過皮膚、骨骼和薄膜的層層阻隔。我們已經(jīng)在這一領(lǐng)域取得了一些進展。腦電圖電極帽的誕生讓VR游戲和用意識來控制工業(yè)機器人成為可能。
But for the time being at least, the most ambitious applications require implants that can interact directly with neurons. And existing devices have lots of drawbacks. They involve wires that pass through the skull; they provoke immune responses; they communicate with only a few hundred of the 85bn neurons in the human brain.
但至少目前來說，最雄心勃勃的運用仍然需要用到能夠直接與神經(jīng)元互動的植入物?，F(xiàn)有的設(shè)備有很多缺點。它們會用到穿過頭骨的電線;這會引起免疫反應(yīng);它們只與人腦中850億個神經(jīng)元中的幾百個進行交互。
But that could soon change. Helped by advances in miniaturisation and increased computing power, efforts are under way to make safe, wireless implants that can communicate with hundreds of thousands of neurons. Some of these interpret the brain’s electrical signals; others experiment with light, magnetism and ultrasound.
但這種現(xiàn)狀很快就會改變。隨著小型化和計算能力的提高，人們正在努力制造安全的無線植入物，可以與數(shù)十萬個神經(jīng)元進行交互。其中一些解讀大腦的電信號;其他則對光、磁和超聲波進行試驗。
Clear the technological barrier, and another one looms. The brain is still a foreign country. Scientists know little about how exactly it works, especially when it comes to complex functions like memory formation. Research is more advanced in animals, but experiments on humans are hard. Yet, even today, some parts of the brain, like the motor cortex, are better understood. Nor is complete knowledge always needed. Machine learning can recognise patterns of neural activity; the brain itself gets the hang of controlling BCIS with extraordinary ease. And neurotechnology will reveal more of the brain’s secrets.
解決技術(shù)難關(guān)后另一個科學難關(guān)開始浮現(xiàn)。大腦仍然是陌生領(lǐng)域?？茖W家們對大腦的工作原理知之甚少，特別是當涉及像記憶的形成這樣的復雜功能時?？茖W家們對動物大腦的研究更為先進，但對人類的實驗卻很困難。然而，即使在今天，大腦的某些部分如運動皮層已經(jīng)能被很好的研究了解。況且研究有時無需知道完整的知識。機器學習可以識別神經(jīng)活動的模式;大腦本身就非常容易地控制著“腦機接口”。神經(jīng)科技將會揭示大腦更多的秘密。
Like a hole in the head
The third obstacle comprises the practical barriers to commercialisation. It takes time, money and expertise to get medical devices approved. And consumer applications will take off only if they perform a function people find useful. Some of the applications for brain-computer interfaces are unnecessary—a good voice-assistant is a simpler way to type without fingers than a brain implant, for example. The idea of consumers clamouring for craniotomies also seems far-fetched.
第三個難關(guān)是商業(yè)化。醫(yī)療設(shè)備的獲批需要時間，資金和專業(yè)技能。只有人們覺得“腦機接口”技術(shù)有用時，它才能實現(xiàn)商業(yè)化應(yīng)用。一些“腦機接口”技術(shù)的應(yīng)用則是不必要的。例如，就“無指打字”來言，一個好的語音識別技術(shù)比大腦植入更簡捷。況且，顧客們也不會為了要用這項技術(shù)而吵著要給自己做開顱手術(shù)。
Yet brain implants are already an established treatment for some conditions. Around 150,000 people receive deep-brain stimulation via electrodes to help them control Parkinson’s disease. Elective surgery can become routine, as laser-eye procedures show.
然而，對于某些病況，大腦植入已經(jīng)是一種成熟的治療方法了。大約有15萬人接受電極深層刺激治療來控制帕金森病。如激光眼科手術(shù)那般，選擇性手術(shù)可以常例化。
All of which suggests that a route to the future imagined by the neurotech pioneers is arduous but achievable. When human ingenuity is applied to a problem, however hard, it is unwise to bet against it. Within a few years, improved technologies may be opening up new channels of communications with the brain. Many of the first applications hold out unambiguous promise—of movement and senses restored.
所有這些都表明神經(jīng)技術(shù)領(lǐng)域的先驅(qū)者們構(gòu)想中的未來之路盡管艱巨但可以實現(xiàn)。當人的獨創(chuàng)性被應(yīng)用于一個問題時，盡管困難，但看好它才是明智的。幾年之內(nèi)，更先進的技術(shù)可能會開辟與大腦溝通的新渠道。許多上文提到的“第一次應(yīng)用”給了我們一個希望——“腦機接口”技術(shù)可以幫助患者恢復運動和感官能力。
But as uses move to the augmentation of abilities, whether for military purposes or among consumers, a host of concerns will arise. Privacy is an obvious one: the refuge of an inner voice may disappear. Security is another: if a brain can be reached on the internet, it can also be hacked. Inequality is a third: access to superhuman cognitive abilities could be beyond all except a self-perpetuating elite. Ethicists are already starting to grapple with questions of identity and agency that arise when a machine is in the neural loop.
但當我們把目光轉(zhuǎn)移到“增強人類能力”上，無論是出于軍事目的還是商業(yè)目的，人們都會對它有一系列擔憂。隱私問題是顯而易見的：內(nèi)心的聲音可能會被竊聽到。安全問題則是另一種隱憂：如果大腦可以連接互聯(lián)網(wǎng)，那么它也可能被黑客入侵。不平等是第三種擔心：只有永生的精英才可以獲得超人般的認知能力，其它普通人想都別想。倫理學家們已經(jīng)開始著手解決，當一臺機器擁有神經(jīng)回路時會出現(xiàn)的身份和代理問題。
These questions are not urgent. But the bigger story is that neither are they the realm of pure fantasy. Technology changes the way people live. Beneath the skull lies the next frontier.
以上這些問題并不緊急。但重要的是，他們不純粹是人們的幻想。技術(shù)改變?nèi)藗兊纳罘绞?。頭骨下埋藏的是下一個尖端領(lǐng)域。
frontier / ?fr?nt??(r); US fr?n?t??r; fr?nˋt?r/ extreme limit, esp of knowledge about sth 極限（尤指有關(guān)某事物的知識的）; 尖端; 邊緣
聯(lián)系客服
