The Brain Electric

The Dramatic High-Tech Race to Merge Minds and Machines

By: Malcolm Gay

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The gripping and revelatory story of the dramatic race to merge the human brain with machines

Leading neuroscience researchers are racing to unlock the secrets of the mind. On the cusp of decoding brain signals that govern motor skills, they are developing miraculous technologies to enable paraplegics and wounded soldiers to move prosthetic limbs, and the rest of us to manipulate computers and other objects through thought alone. These fiercely competitive scientists are vying for Defense Department and venture capital funding, prestige, and great wealth.

Part life-altering cure, part science fiction, part military dream, these cutting-edge brain-computer interfaces promise to improve lives - but also hold the potential to augment soldiers' combat capabilities. In The Brain Electric, Malcolm Gay follows the dramatic emergence of these technologies, taking us behind the scenes into the operating rooms, start-ups, and research labs where the future is unfolding. With access to many of the field's top scientists, Gay illuminates this extraordinary race - where science, medicine, profit, and war converge - for the first time. But this isn't just a story about technology. At the heart of this research is a group of brave, vulnerable patient-volunteers whose lives are given new meaning through participating in these experiments. The Brain Electric asks us to rethink our relationship to technology, our bodies, even consciousness itself - challenging our assumptions about what it means to be human.

©2015 Malcolm Gay (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Should have yearly updates

Good. Interesting. Author should add additional chapter each year and update the book with nlatest breakthroughs.

Fluffy

I found myself wanting to read more about technology and less about people. And I had already heard most of the stories in media. Grain of salt: I follow neuro news and am probably less interested in personal stories than most.

Electrifying!

The material could have been deathly full in the hands of another writer and narrator. The combination of the two resulted in anything but boring. The explanations of each child concept, medical and/or research tool, and controversies were clearly explained. The research subjects courage is graphically displayed, as are the motivations, envies, and frustrations of the researchers.

Sometimes, the accents seemed a bit forced, and I would have given it five stars but for the subject matter. Unlike a biography of a great person or a history of a particular time, I'm not sure if I want to hear all of this again.

Refreshingly not pop-neuro or pseudoscience

An informative and entertaining read accessible for lay readers and experts. As someone with professional duties in this field I'm often frustrated by books that oversell or hype things like neuroplasticity. This book is balanced, accurate, and still inspiring.