Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

fusion.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 48 posts

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#31

Post by TDL »

vfdfv wrote: post #21
stonogo wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a pretty stupid assumption to make. All the of the 'weaponized brain' bullshit is coming from breathless web journalism types -- DARPA's research is into offsetting TBI, which is a real problem for many, many veterans. If you need proof that not everything DARPA does is going to immediately commit mass murder, consider the internet you used to post your teenaged witticism.

This 'weaponized brain' bullshit arises out of a very legitimate fear of the US military, the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings, and its extensive history of unethical human experimentation. If DARPA is seriously interested in reducing TBI then perhaps they should consider conducting fewer fraudulent wars.

"the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings..."

You may want to look into the history of the military in the U.S., both right and left share in it's excesses.

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#32

Post by coldtea »

TDL wrote: post #31
vfdfv wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This 'weaponized brain' bullshit arises out of a very legitimate fear of the US military, the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings, and its extensive history of unethical human experimentation. If DARPA is seriously interested in reducing TBI then perhaps they should consider conducting fewer fraudulent wars.

"the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings..." You may want to look into the history of the military in the U.S., both right and left share in it's excesses.

Perhaps because the "left" in the US is still cloase to what would be called right (or even far-right) in other places, when it comes to anything "patriotic" (and even in religious and moral issues).

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#33

Post by JibberMeTimbers »

stonogo wrote: post #17
coldtea wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the kind that results in more efficient mass murder, suffering, and oppression in the world. Hurray!

This is a pretty stupid assumption to make. All the of the 'weaponized brain' bullshit is coming from breathless web journalism types -- DARPA's research is into offsetting TBI, which is a real problem for many, many veterans. If you need proof that not everything DARPA does is going to immediately commit mass murder, consider the internet you used to post your teenaged witticism.

The article also somehow associated treating TBI/PTSD through this BCI with creating Super Soldiers. I am not seeing that jump. Super Soldier would imply that they are able to carry out the same tasks that a team could by themselves. We are still very, very far away from that.

I think people are mixing with this article about with their future "expectations" about DARPA

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#34

Post by vfdfv »

TDL wrote: post #31
vfdfv wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This 'weaponized brain' bullshit arises out of a very legitimate fear of the US military, the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings, and its extensive history of unethical human experimentation. If DARPA is seriously interested in reducing TBI then perhaps they should consider conducting fewer fraudulent wars.

"the right-wing nutcases that pull its strings..." You may want to look into the history of the military in the U.S., both right and left share in it's excesses.

I am no fan of either party, and I consider people like Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton to be right-wingers as well, but the self-proclaimed political right does the majority of warmongering.

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#35

Post by frandroid »

cryoshon wrote: post #27
stevoo wrote: post #4

I am wondering if this can be used two ways and if the soldiers with this implant are willing to take the risks. Assuming that a soldier has been captured by enemy forces and he has knowledge of vital information. What are the chances that using the implant they can "fry" the soldier brain to avoid giving the enemy those vital information ?

This probably already exists. I don't believe they'd need to fry the brain, just explode it or titrate certain drugs.

citation needed.

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#36

Post by ilkan »

I'm disappointed... what an alarmist and false article. Soldiers are expensive to train, you want them to come back safe and healthy so you can send them out again. Fighting is a messy affair where you have to rely on people making good independent decisions in swiftly variable situations with limited information, and helping each other out.. a battalion of "hunter killer cyborgs" needing direction and micromanagement would be a real commander's worst nightmare. Commenters have been playing too many video games :) Most armies are volunteer, not draft... who would ever join again?

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#37

Post by GFK_of_xmaspast »

ilkan wrote: post #36

I'm disappointed... what an alarmist and false article. Soldiers are expensive to train, you want them to come back safe and healthy so you can send them out again. Fighting is a messy affair where you have to rely on people making good independent decisions in swiftly variable situations with limited information, and helping each other out.. a battalion of "hunter killer cyborgs" needing direction and micromanagemen…

> who would ever join again?

well if it's 'join the army or starve', the choice becomes a little clearer.

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#38

Post by tkinom »

What if someone put these chips into some volunteer students. They later do a lot much better in school in term of test scores, homework, writing, reading, science, etc?

What if you have a mentally disable child, but help with this chip implant, he/she can do much better than normal students or can easy get high enough SAT score to get into the best colleges /grad school and cant easily match/beat the best programmers in Google/Facebook/Apple.

Would you do it?

What if with this implant, you can learn new foreign language in a few days, learn a new programming language + most complex programming patterns, concepts while you are sleeping in couple days. You can easily get the best jobs in any tech company. You can also train yourself to be the best CTO/Programmer in a few weeks and finish the Backend/FrontEnd/IOS/Android/Windows program much needed for your startup in no time at all.

Would you do it?

Assuming such chip/software exists and if you don't do it, others might have huge competitive advantage. Would you care?

Maybe AI stand for Augmented Intelligent soon?

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#39

Post by astazangasta »

ilkan wrote: post #36

I'm disappointed... what an alarmist and false article. Soldiers are expensive to train, you want them to come back safe and healthy so you can send them out again. Fighting is a messy affair where you have to rely on people making good independent decisions in swiftly variable situations with limited information, and helping each other out.. a battalion of "hunter killer cyborgs" needing direction and micromanagemen…

>Soldiers are expensive to train, you want them to come back safe and healthy so you can send them out again.

Who is "you"? Maybe you. I didn't want to send out soldiers in the first place. I haven't supported a single conflict the US has been involved in in my lifetime, and I certainly don't think that the need to get soldiers - who have already been traumatically injured fighting bullshit wars - back in the field is a pressing one.

Even if it WAS a pressing need, are you fucking INSANE? The US military implanting chips in soldiers' brains is a fucking bonkers notion. How about we stop putting these people in harm's way for our oil wars, first of all, and start actually offering them good medical treatment and therapy when they get home? Let's solve all of these problems first, then we can talk about putting chips inside them (the answer will still be 'no').

Re: Darpa is testing implanting chips in soldiers’ brains

#40

Post by cryoshon »

frandroid wrote: post #35
cryoshon wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This probably already exists. I don't believe they'd need to fry the brain, just explode it or titrate certain drugs.

citation needed.

Nah. We can hypothesize very conservatively based off of what we knew existed in the 1960s-- agency issued suicide pills, and remotely detonated explosive molar implants to prevent squealing (albeit with a quite short range because of technical limitations at the time).
Post reply on HN