The U.S. Military’s experimental research division, the DARPA, have confirmed that they are working on a project to greatly enhance the capability of soldiers to interact with computers. To do this, they are working on a chip that will be implanted in soldiers that will provide a direct neural pathway for them to directly connect to computers.

The program, called the Neural Engineering System Design (NESD), aims to produce a biocompatible device that is one cubic centimeter in size and “would serve as a translator, converting between the electrochemical language used by neurons in the brain and the ones and zeros that constitute the language of information technology.”

If you say that this is tantamount to turning soldiers into “cyborgs”, you may not be really off the mark. This direct interaction between man and computer via neural pathways will greatly enhance a soldier’s capability to act on information and it will be faster than clicking the mouse or a swipe of a finger.

DARPA thinks that the problem lies on how the datalink is done between the human brain and the computer and find the cables used in previous experiments were too simple. What they want is a better way of transferring data between the brain and the computer at which should be a super fast speeds.

“Today’s best brain-computer interface systems are like two supercomputers trying to talk to each other using an old 300-baud modem,” said Phillip Alvelda, the NESD program manager.

In order to that, what is required are integrated breakthroughs in neuroscience, synthetic biology, low-power electronics and medical device manufacturing. The NESD program will partner with industry leaders to achieve this, which then will be able to implement the outcomes of the program for commercial and other research applications.

I’m pretty sure that whilst you’re reading this, you may have already been thinking of the brain plug in “The Matrix” movies. How I wish that it will be something that can be done. Just imagine, information and skills can be acquired by just plugging in to interface with a computer. Just upload the information to your brain and work like someone who already has years of experience.

Why go to school when you can just quickly learn kung fu how to fly a helicopter by just plugging in?