Was I talking about science fiction having become science yesterday? More of the same today, having been very impressed with the closing address of the ICTF conference I attended. Professor Kevin Warwick of Reading University is not only a leading proponent of bridging electronics into biology (ie. creating cyborgs) but also a brilliant speaker. If he had wanted to sign people up for experimental implants I think he would have had a long queue (although a hall full of geeks is probably an easy target).

Among the highlights were a demonstration of implanted electrodes to control the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and small robots, controlled by neural networks cultured from rodent brain cells, which gradually learn how to navigate and avoid the walls of their environment.