(Note: I tried to write to M. Bartos directly at the e-mail
address in his request, but my replies keep bouncing. At the
risk of over-distributing this, I will post it to this mailing
list. I hope others on the list will provide further details.
Martin: if you get interesting replies via e-mail, will you
summarize them to this list?)
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On the subject of neural implants, I don't know a lot about
them, but one work which I did encounter a few years ago which
was simply fascinating was a textbook by a California author,
Carver Mead.
Mead is somewhat famous here as an interdisiplinary all-'round
Rennaissance figure: primarily, he is a well-respected designer
of microchips who works in California's "silicon valley."
However, he goes to all the neural network conferences, and
spends lots of time hanging out with neuroscientists. He is
perhaps best known for two of his inventions, the so-called
"silicon retina," and the silicon cochlea. Both of these have
been the subject of numerous papers and qualify as attempts to
design neural prostheses. By the way, electronic cochlear
implants are done in the Northwest on a regular basis; the
consensus among those silicon cochlea. Both of these have been
the subject of numerous papers and qualify as attempts to
design neural prostheses. By the way, electronic cochlear
implants are done in the Northwest on a regular basis; the
consensus among those who do the surgery is that the quality of
the signal is not high enough to gaurentee intelligible speech,
but that people usually are able to comprehend some things that
are said while relying on one, and that it's a hell of a lot
better than nothing.
Mead has at least two books, as well as a chapter or paper in
most of the Neural Network conference proceedings. Sorry I
don't have a cite for his book titles handy, but a good
research librarian can help you find books by this author.
Good luck!
scotty
theron at reed.edu
