7 ms·

I connect my brain to computers everyday using a keyboard and monitor. The entire loop consists with photons emitted from monitor hitting my eye-balls, being pr

I connect my brain to computers everyday using a keyboard and monitor. The entire loop consists with photons emitted from monitor hitting my eye-balls, being processed by my visual system, etc. you know "brain stuff", and then my responding to that by using my fingers to press "keys" on a keyboard and to move around an optical "mouse" to send signals to the computer. It actually works quite well, and is quite affordable (unless its an Apple Studio Display, those are ridiculously expensive).

tomohelix 4y ago
Well you jest but the benefit of a direct interface is how much faster it can be. Typing is slow. Chemical based signals from eyes to brain to muscle are slow. Moving the mouse and keyboard are slow. All those middlemen can be removed and we can speed things up at least 3-4 times.
- civilian 4y ago
  have you tried these EEG-based tools? They're difficult to pick up.
- amelius 4y ago
  > Chemical based signals from eyes to brain to muscle are slow Uh, these are the same types of signals that are happening inside the brain ...
  - tomohelix 4y ago
    Yes, but I am talking about the parts outside the brain. Eye to brain. Brain to muscle. You can cut those out and since the brain is about 15cm in diameter while there are around 50cm of nerves between your fingers and brain, I think around 3-4x faster by replacing those nerves with near lightspeed communication is not too ambitious.
- chaosbolt 4y ago
  The way I use the mouse and keyboard makes this already too fast and I find myself in need to slow down how fast I take information in anyway. What makes you think people can handle it being 4 times faster? The bottleneck will eventually be your neurotransmitters no?
  - tomohelix 4y ago
    I really doubt that. Do you type as fast as you can think? As in the moment a line of code formed in your brain it got typed out immediately into the computer? Maybe you can but I don't think the majority of people can do that.
    - iforgotpassword 4y ago
      It's usually only those short bursts, usually you spend more time thinking than typing, but maybe for some languages where you write a lot of boilerplate all the time it's different.
      - chaosbolt 4y ago
        Exactly, plus all 3 comments assumed I talked about my input into the computer, while I talked about how much info I can take into my brain from the computer being already too fast, who cares if it takes me 2 seconds to write a sentence I thought about for a minute or instantly, the thinking will always be slower and the reading is fast enough as is. The issue facing us is on a genetic level, most people are too dumb to even profit from the current input/output speed, let alone making x4 faster.
  - melling 4y ago
    We need to have this conversation every few years because developers fancy themselves as efficient code monkeys. The downside is that many develop RSI from a keyboard and mouse. https://www.slideserve.com/carrington/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi https://www.slideserve.com/carrington/repetitive-strain-inju... It’s discussed on HN from time to time: https://hn.algolia.com/?q=rsi https://hn.algolia.com/?q=rsi
- jjtheblunt 4y ago
  Where did you get 3-4 times?
  - tomohelix 4y ago
    Just a rough guess from the diameter of the brain and the nerve distance between the brain and your finger muscles.
- charcircuit 4y ago
  Have you used any BCI text input methods? I can assure you that typing with a keyboard is much faster and accurate than a "direct interface."
incone123 4y ago
Optimistic take: this might drive innovation and bring down price of access for people with disabilities.
smoldesu 4y ago
What's a computer?
- Mark_Frenk 4y ago
  For RaspberryPi
jonnycomputer 4y ago
Flagged. Knew I should have left out the Apple bit.
- dang 4y ago
  It wasn't flagged because of the Apple bit. I flagged and collapsed it because it was an offtopic distraction. I'm sure your intent was good but it's extremely easy for something like this to take over a thread, and indeed that was just what was happening.
  - jonnycomputer 4y ago
    Thanks for the explanation dang.

tomohelix 4y ago

Well you jest but the benefit of a direct interface is how much faster it can be. Typing is slow. Chemical based signals from eyes to brain to muscle are slow. Moving the mouse and keyboard are slow. All those middlemen can be removed and we can speed things up at least 3-4 times.

civilian 4y ago
have you tried these EEG-based tools? They're difficult to pick up.
amelius 4y ago
> Chemical based signals from eyes to brain to muscle are slow Uh, these are the same types of signals that are happening inside the brain ...
- tomohelix 4y ago
  Yes, but I am talking about the parts outside the brain. Eye to brain. Brain to muscle. You can cut those out and since the brain is about 15cm in diameter while there are around 50cm of nerves between your fingers and brain, I think around 3-4x faster by replacing those nerves with near lightspeed communication is not too ambitious.
chaosbolt 4y ago
The way I use the mouse and keyboard makes this already too fast and I find myself in need to slow down how fast I take information in anyway. What makes you think people can handle it being 4 times faster? The bottleneck will eventually be your neurotransmitters no?
- tomohelix 4y ago
  I really doubt that. Do you type as fast as you can think? As in the moment a line of code formed in your brain it got typed out immediately into the computer? Maybe you can but I don't think the majority of people can do that.
  - iforgotpassword 4y ago
    It's usually only those short bursts, usually you spend more time thinking than typing, but maybe for some languages where you write a lot of boilerplate all the time it's different.
    - chaosbolt 4y ago
      Exactly, plus all 3 comments assumed I talked about my input into the computer, while I talked about how much info I can take into my brain from the computer being already too fast, who cares if it takes me 2 seconds to write a sentence I thought about for a minute or instantly, the thinking will always be slower and the reading is fast enough as is. The issue facing us is on a genetic level, most people are too dumb to even profit from the current input/output speed, let alone making x4 faster.
- melling 4y ago
  We need to have this conversation every few years because developers fancy themselves as efficient code monkeys. The downside is that many develop RSI from a keyboard and mouse. https://www.slideserve.com/carrington/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi https://www.slideserve.com/carrington/repetitive-strain-inju... It’s discussed on HN from time to time: https://hn.algolia.com/?q=rsi https://hn.algolia.com/?q=rsi
jjtheblunt 4y ago
Where did you get 3-4 times?
- tomohelix 4y ago
  Just a rough guess from the diameter of the brain and the nerve distance between the brain and your finger muscles.
charcircuit 4y ago
Have you used any BCI text input methods? I can assure you that typing with a keyboard is much faster and accurate than a "direct interface."

incone123 4y ago

Optimistic take: this might drive innovation and bring down price of access for people with disabilities.

smoldesu 4y ago

What's a computer?

Mark_Frenk 4y ago
For RaspberryPi

jonnycomputer 4y ago

Flagged. Knew I should have left out the Apple bit.

dang 4y ago
It wasn't flagged because of the Apple bit. I flagged and collapsed it because it was an offtopic distraction. I'm sure your intent was good but it's extremely easy for something like this to take over a thread, and indeed that was just what was happening.
- jonnycomputer 4y ago
  Thanks for the explanation dang.