Concept Paper: Mind Uploading; Transhumanism

Mind uploading is the transference of consciousness unto an artificial machine such as a computer. It is a Transhumanist concept. Transhumanism, in general, believes in the possibility and desirability of tapping science and technology in the enhancement of not only man's surroundings but in the enhancement of man himself.�

Today, there are a multitude of examples where man's body is enhanced by technology: From eyeglasses and canes, to the man-made prosthetic feet, vaccines, the steel bars placed within the limbs to compliment weak, brittle bones, and the research and creation of exoskeletons� for the military. With the aid of robotics and electronics, the physical and computational limitations of man could be removed and exceeded. Though already awed by these wonders, Transhumanists wish to go further: a human in a robot body.

Brain scanning technology is quickly approaching l...

English: Adapted from CCRG website diagram, drawn ...

English: The brain network of the C.Elegans worm; ...

Several robot bodies have been created that all could be controlled by thought. All these work by having a human being wear a 'mind-reading' headgear� and then a computer that translates these synapses in the brain responsible for movement into electronic signals that could be understood by a computer. The problem with this is that there are three characters involved: the robot, the human, and the computer, lengthening the process If so, then why not save a step and eliminate the middleman? By middleman, really…man.

TECHNICALS

The brain and a computer perform three identical functions in this order: Data acquisition, analysis, storage of that analysis, and then an expression of information. The brain receives audiovisual, olfactory, tactile data from its sensors (eyes, ears, limbs, tongue, etc.) vis-Ã -vis a computer's reception of data through the keyboard, mouse, touchpad, or other media reception methods. It then analyzes...