Monkeys in Exoskeletons Are Cute, Deadly

The above picture was originally posted over at Gamma Squad, and it is reprinted here because it is the perfect visual representation of the horrors that mankind will be facing quite soon. You see it seems that some smartypants neuroscientists have decided it would be a good idea to fit monkeys with exoskeletons as part of a research project to help those with spinal injuries and mobility issues. Here’s the seemingly benign scoop on the experiment from i09:

The authors worked with two adult rhesus macaques to assess a system
that incorporates a sense of movement. Each monkey was first trained to
control a cursor using brain signals only; electrodes collected and
processed data from the monkeys’ motor cortex cells and transmitted
those commands to the computer. Basic science research has shown that
simply thinking about a motion activates brain cells in the same way
that making the movement does, so each monkey needed to only think about
moving a cursor to do it.

The researchers equipped each animal with a robotic “sleeve” that fit
over an arm. In the first part of the experiment, the monkeys
controlled the cursor by simply looking at the computer screen. In the
second part, the robotic device moved the monkey’s relaxed arm in tandem
with the cursor movement, so the monkey could sense the cursor’s motion
in time and space. The authors found when the monkeys had the extra
sensation, the cursor hit the target faster and more directly. The
results also showed increased movement-related information in the
activity of motor cortex cells, compared with visual-only feedback.

[Lead researcher Nicholas] Hatsopoulos said his group’s findings may
pave the way for enhanced brain-controlled devices that include multiple
forms of natural or even artificially produced sensory feedback.
“Wearable exoskeletal robots could provide sensory information to
patients with full or partial feeling,” he said. “Alternatively, direct
stimulation of the relevant area of the cortex could be used to
replicate sensory feedback in patients who have lost both motor and
sensory function.”

It sure sounds like something that could have limitless benefits for mankind. Besides, there’s no way that screwing around with monkeys could go wrong, right?

Whoops. Um yeah, so we are totally fucked. Happy holidays folks!