Neurotechnology and Society

Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs) comprise a suite of techniques designed to connect our thoughts with modern technology. These miraculous tools are creating new opportunities for people with physical disabilities and providing scientists with an unprecedented view into the deep workings of human cognition. In this course, we will explore different types of BMIs and investigate their research, clinical, and consumer applications. We will also discuss new legal and ethical considerations around these technologies. For example, who owns your brain activity pattern once it leaves your head? Can we and should we use information from BMIs to create non-biological machine intelligence? If BMIs are a route to superhuman enhancement, as some parties view them, what are the implications for a society where some people have augmented brain function and others do not?