Pentagon goes SciFi

[trekgeezer]

This sounds like an idea inspired by a SciFi original movie. If it is then can't they see that at some point things will go horrifically wrong.

Super Soldiers

[Fearless Freep]

Nah, they just install a 'plot twist reflex canceller' in the chip

[Mr. Hockstatter]

Reminds me of that cartoon where the crew of the Enterprise is sitting around on the bridge, and the big screen says "This starship has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down".

[Flangepart]

I vote for horrifficly wrong. This Can't be good.
So....did the movies give the Pentagon the idea, or vice versa?

[trekgeezer]

I don't know the answer to that question Flange, but the Pentagon should pay attention to the movies, as a WARNING!

From the way this sounds, they plug in a memory chip and you can just download your training. Imagine it, get a PHD level education in minutes!

[Flangepart]

Great. All the loose cannon damage potential of a rogue A.I., at a bargan basement price! They just never learn...

[onionhead]

Actually I can see practical application of such a chip in cases of head injuries or stroke where memory in lost or impaired to a high degree.  I don't see it happening in my lifetime due to the huge moral and ethical issues involved.

How about a tiny circuit implanted in the spine of a paralyzed individual that completes the nerve conduction lost with a shearing or bruise type injury?  How about multiple implants in cases of multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease?

How about The Terminal Man?  I read Michael Crichton's novel a few years ago, and the idea of implants to control epileptic seizures was and is a fascinating one, but as the novel shows it is not without its Frankensteinian implications, either.

[dean]

Someone certainly has been watching too much Matrix.

Is anyone else getting 'Universal Soldier' flashbacks?

[trekgeezer]

Yea, I remember terminal man. They put in an implant in his brain, so that when he had violent thoughts his pleasure centers would be stimulated, so he becomes addicted to it. There was a movie based on it with George Segal.

[Shadowphile]

The next stage of the project is to test the implant on live animals

Gee, it works great in dead rats, so it must be a great idea!

I don't think it woud be possible to implant a PhD but I do think it would be possible to stimulate the brain to recall the training. I have to agree it has enormous potential to restore memory function that has been lost or impaired due to damage or disease but I also agree that it isn't likely to be fully developed in my lifetime.

The pros and cons of this concept are diverse and numerous, the potential for good and bad coming of it, enormous.  And, of course the horror movie factor must be considered, however unlikely.  Did you notice that the Pentagon's first instinct was to use it as a weapon?  Morons....