In a keynote address at the 2007 Design Automation Conference, I discussed the potential of an emerging technology known as synthetic biology and the role integrated circuit design methodology could play in shaping this nascent field.
Now almost 20 years later, synthetic biology has matured significantly. Today It offers the opportunity not only of addressing genetic diseases, but also of engineering life itself. In fact, we are witnessing the simultaneous emergence and explosive growth of three technologies that are bound the shape of the future of humanity: genetic engineering (such as enabled by CRISPR-CAS9), artificial intelligence, and brain-machine interfaces (BMIs).
While all three are equally influential, this presentation will focus primarily on the latter – that is, direct interfaces with the human brain. Brain-machine interfaces are systems that create a direct communication pathway between the brain and external devices. By translating neural signals into actionable information, BMIs can be used to restore lost abilities, augment human capabilities, and enable entirely new forms of interaction with technology. They hold the promise of revolutionizing fields such as medicine, rehabilitation, neuroscience, and even human-machine collaboration.
We will review the state-of-the-art, identify progress, speculate where it may lead, and address some pertinent questions such as privacy and morality implications. But most importantly, we will explore the essential role that the design community can —and must—play in the conception, design, integration and deployment of these groundbreaking technologies.
