Synopsis:

We are on the cusp of a broad revolution, one with startling implications for perception, cognition, emotion, and indeed, personal identity. Still in its relative infancy, this rapidly progressing field is poised to move from perceptual aids such as cochlear implants to devices that will enhance and speed up thought to the ultimate goal of researchers, that of downloading the mind from its bound state in the body to a platform-independent existence. Neuroengineering draws on the fields of computational neuroscience, experimental neuroscience, clinical neurology, electrical engineering and signal processing of living neural tissue, and encompasses elements from robotics, cybernetics, computer engineering, neural tissue engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology. Prominent goals in the field include restoration and augmentation of human function via direct interactions between the nervous system and artificial devices. This brief survey covers the science that will make these transformations possible. It begins by describing very briefly how the brain works from an engineering point of view, including an overview of the architecture of the brain. It then examines the current state-of-the-art neural technologies, including devices that read from the brain, and devices that can write information into the brain. It also describes how insights from the nascent field of consciousness studies show how the full transfer of the soul could be realized. Finally, it considers what it would be like to be a mind unbound, and the possibilities beyond those found in ordinary corporeal life.

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