They are presently detecting the pattern of firing in signals and the pattern is associated with particular phonemes or word sounds that he is trying to produce. They have done that mapping and are trying to detect them and send them back to him, so that he can actually produce the phonemes or sounds of words. The result will be a computer synthesizing Eric's attempts to speak.
Beyond alleviating the effects of disabilities, normal functioning humans could upgrade to improve intelligence, sensory awareness or simply to counter the effects of aging.
Disability becomes ability?
Ampl-ability (ability becomes amplified)?
Eubility (good things beyond human ability)?
Malability (things we wish humans could never do)?
Computer Tipping Point
Computers reach the speed of 20 quadrillion instructions per second, equal to the human brain
In accordance with Moore's law, we expected to reach the computational capacity of the human brain---20 million billion neuron connection calculations per second (100 billion neurons times an average of 1,000 connections to other neurons times 200 calculations per second per connection)---in a super computer by 2010 and in a standard personal computer by the year 2020.
Ray Kurzweil
Kurweil’s Vision
By the year 2040 a super computer reaches the collective brain speed of all the human brains alive.
By 2050 global brain speed is available on a $1,000 laptop.
