Miguel Nicolelis: A monkey that controls a robot with its thoughts. No, really.

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevodilac: Miloš Milosavljević Lektor: Mile Živković

The kind of neuroscience that I do and my colleagues do

Vrsta neuronauke kojom se ja i moje kolege bavimo

is almost like the weatherman.

je skoro kao meteorologija.

We are always chasing storms.

Stalno jurimo oluje.

We want to see and measure storms -- brainstorms, that is.

Želimo da vidimo i izmerimo oluje - "moždane oluje" u stvari.

And we all talk about brainstorms in our daily lives,

Svi govorimo o moždanim olujama u našem svakodnevnom životu,

but we rarely see or listen to one.

ali retko vidimo ili čujemo neku.

So I always like to start these talks

Tako da uvek volim da počnem ove govore

by actually introducing you to one of them.

tako što ću vas upoznati sa jednom od njih.

Actually, the first time we recorded more than one neuron --

U stvari, prvi put kad smo snimili više od jednog neurona -

a hundred brain cells simultaneously --

sto moždanih ćelija istovremeno -

we could measure the electrical sparks

mogli smo da izmerimo električne varnice

of a hundred cells in the same animal,

stotina ćelija kod iste životinje,

this is the first image we got,

ovo je prva slika koju smo dobili,

the first 10 seconds of this recording.

prvih 10 sekundi ovog snimka.

So we got a little snippet of a thought,

Tako smo dobili mali isečak misli

and we could see it in front of us.

i mogli smo da ga vidimo tu pred nama.

I always tell the students

Uvek kažem studentima

that we could also call neuroscientists some sort of astronomer,

da bismo neuronaučnike takođe mogli nazvati nekom vrstom astronoma

because we are dealing with a system

zato što se suočavamo sa jednim sistemom

that is only comparable in terms of number of cells

koji jedino može da se uporedi, po broju ćelija,

to the number of galaxies that we have in the universe.

sa brojem galaksija koje imamo u svemiru.

And here we are, out of billions of neurons,

I evo nas, od milijardi neurona,

just recording, 10 years ago, a hundred.

samo snimanjem, pre 10 godina, na sto.

We are doing a thousand now.

Sada radimo hiljadu.

And we hope to understand something fundamental about our human nature.

I nadamo se da ćemo razumeti nešto fundamentalno o našoj ljudskoj prirodi.

Because, if you don't know yet,

Zato što, ako to još uvek ne znate,

everything that we use to define what human nature is comes from these storms,

sve ono što definišemo kao ljudsku prirodu, dolazi od ovih oluja,

comes from these storms that roll over the hills and valleys of our brains

dolazi od oluja koje se kotrljaju preko brda i dolina naših mozgova

and define our memories, our beliefs,

i definišu naša sećanja, naša verovanja,

our feelings, our plans for the future.

naša osećanja, naše planove za budućnost.

Everything that we ever do,

Sve što ikada radimo,

everything that every human has ever done, do or will do,

sve što je svaki čovek ikada radio, radi ili će raditi

requires the toil of populations of neurons producing these kinds of storms.

zahteva težak rad populacija neurona koji proizvode ovakve oluje.

And the sound of a brainstorm, if you've never heard one,

I zvuk moždane oluje, ako niste to nikada čuli,

is somewhat like this.

je otprilike ovakav.

You can put it louder if you can.

Možete da pojačate ako je moguće.

My son calls this "making popcorn while listening to a badly-tuned A.M. station."

Moj sin naziva ovo: "Pravljenje kokica dok slušamo radio-stanicu sa lošim prijemom".

This is a brain.

Ovo je mozak.

This is what happens when you route these electrical storms to a loudspeaker

Ovo je ono što se dešava kad sprovedete ove električne oluje do zvučnika

and you listen to a hundred brain cells firing,

i slušate paljbu stotine moždanih ćelija,

your brain will sound like this -- my brain, any brain.

vaš mozak će zvučati ovako - moj mozak, svačiji mozak.

And what we want to do as neuroscientists in this time

I ono što mi želimo kao neuronaučnici sada

is to actually listen to these symphonies, these brain symphonies,

je da u stvari slušamo ove simfonije, ove moždane simfonije,

and try to extract from them the messages they carry.

i pokušamo da izdvojimo iz njih poruke koje nose.

In particular, about 12 years ago

Posebno, pre otprilike 12 godina

we created a preparation that we named brain-machine interfaces.

kreirali smo preparat koji smo nazvali interfejs moždane mašine.

And you have a scheme here that describes how it works.

Ovde imate šemu koja opisuje kako radi.

The idea is, let's have some sensors that listen to these storms, this electrical firing,

Ideja je: hajde da napravimo neke senzore koji slušaju ove oluje, ovu električnu paljbu,

and see if you can, in the same time that it takes

i vidite ako možete, u isto vreme za koje

for this storm to leave the brain and reach the legs or the arms of an animal --

ovoj oluji treba da napusti mozak i stigne do nogu ili ruku životinje

about half a second --

- oko pola sekunde -

let's see if we can read these signals,

hajde da vidimo da li možemo da pročitamo ove signale,

extract the motor messages that are embedded in it,

izdvojimo motorne poruke koje su tu sadržane,

translate it into digital commands

prevedemo ih u digitalne komande

and send it to an artificial device

i pošaljemo ih u veštački uređaj

that will reproduce the voluntary motor wheel of that brain in real time.

koji će da reprodukuje voljni motorni točak tog mozga u realnom vremenu.

And see if we can measure how well we can translate that message

I da vidimo da li možemo da izmerimo koliko dobro možemo da prevedemo tu poruku

when we compare to the way the body does that.

kad je uporedimo s tim kako to radi telo.

And if we can actually provide feedback,

I vidimo da li možemo da obezbedimo povratne informacije,

sensory signals that go back from this robotic, mechanical, computational actuator

senzorske signale koji se vraćaju iz ovog robotskog, mehaničkog, kompjuterskog pokretača

that is now under the control of the brain,

koji je sada pod kontrolom mozga,

back to the brain,

nazad u mozak,

how the brain deals with that,

šta mozak radi s tim,

of receiving messages from an artificial piece of machinery.

s primanjem poruka od veštačke mašine.

And that's exactly what we did 10 years ago.

I to je upravo ono što smo uradili pre 10 godina.

We started with a superstar monkey called Aurora

Počeli smo sa superzvezdom, majmunom zvanim Aurora

that became one of the superstars of this field.

koja je postala jedna od superzvezda ove oblasti.

And Aurora liked to play video games.

Aurora je volela da igra video igrice.

As you can see here,

Kao što vidite ovde,

she likes to use a joystick, like any one of us, any of our kids, to play this game.

ona voli da koristi džojstik, kao bilo ko od nas ili naše dece, da igra ovu igricu.

And as a good primate, she even tries to cheat before she gets the right answer.

I kao jedan dobar primat, ona čak pokušava da vara pre nego što dobije tačan odgovor.

So even before a target appears that she's supposed to cross

Tako čak i pre nego što se pojavi meta koju bi trebalo da pređe

with the cursor that she's controlling with this joystick,

sa kursorom koji kontroliše džojstikom,

Aurora is trying to find the target, no matter where it is.

Aurora pokušava da nađe metu, bez obzira gde se nalazi.

And if she's doing that,

I ona to radi

because every time she crosses that target with the little cursor,

zato što svaki put kad pređe preko mete sa malim kursorom

she gets a drop of Brazilian orange juice.

dobija kap brazilskog soka od pomorandže.

And I can tell you, any monkey will do anything for you

I mogu da vam kažem, svaki majmun će uraditi bilo šta za vas

if you get a little drop of Brazilian orange juice.

ako dobije malo brazilskog soka od pomorandže.

Actually any primate will do that.

U stvari bilo koji primat će uraditi to.

Think about that.

Razmislite o tome.

Well, while Aurora was playing this game, as you saw,

Dakle, dok je Aurora igrala ovu igru, kao što ste videli,

and doing a thousand trials a day

radeći hiljadu pokušaja dnevno

and getting 97 percent correct and 350 milliliters of orange juice,

i dobijajući 97 procenata tačnih, i 350 mililitara soka od pomorandže,

we are recording the brainstorms that are produced in her head

mi smo snimali moždane oluje koje su se stvarale u njenoj glavi

and sending them to a robotic arm

i slali ih u robotsku ruku

that was learning to reproduce the movements that Aurora was making.

koja je učila da reprodukuje pokrete koje je Aurora pravila.

Because the idea was to actually turn on this brain-machine interface

Zato što je ideja u stvari bila da se uljuči ovaj interfejs moždane mašine

and have Aurora play the game just by thinking,

i da Aurora igra igru samo pomoću razmišljajnja,

without interference of her body.

bez mešanja njenog tela.

Her brainstorms would control an arm

Njene moždane oluje bi kontrolisale ruku

that would move the cursor and cross the target.

koja bi pomerala kursor i prelazila preko mete.

And to our shock, that's exactly what Aurora did.

I na naše zaprepašćenje, to je upravo bilo ono što je Aurora uradila.

She played the game without moving her body.

Odigrala je igru bez pomeranja svog tela.

So every trajectory that you see of the cursor now,

Tako svaka putanja kursora koju vidite sada,

this is the exact first moment she got that.

ovo je tačno prvi momenat kada je ona to shvatila.

That's the exact first moment

To je tačno prvi momenat

a brain intention was liberated from the physical domains of a body of a primate

kada je moždana namera oslobođena fizičkog područja rada tela primata

and could act outside, in that outside world,

i mogla da funkcioniše spolja, u spoljnom svetu,

just by controlling an artificial device.

samo kontrolišući veštački uređaj.

And Aurora kept playing the game, kept finding the little target

I Aurora je nastavila da igra igru, nastavila da traži malu metu

and getting the orange juice that she wanted to get, that she craved for.

i dobija sok od pomorandže koji je htela da dobije, za kojim je žudela.

Well, she did that because she, at that time, had acquired a new arm.

Ona je to uradila zato što je, u to vreme, pribavila novu ruku.

The robotic arm that you see moving here 30 days later,

Robotska ruka koju ovde vidite da se pomera 30 dana kasnije

after the first video that I showed to you,

posle prvog videa koji sam vam pokazao,

is under the control of Aurora's brain

je pod kontrolom Aurorinog mozga

and is moving the cursor to get to the target.

i pomera kursor da dođe do mete.

And Aurora now knows that she can play the game with this robotic arm,

I Aurora sada zna da može da igra igru sa ovom robotskom rukom,

but she has not lost the ability to use her biological arms to do what she pleases.

ali nije izgubila sposobnost da koristi svoje biološke ruke da bi radila šta joj je volja.

She can scratch her back, she can scratch one of us, she can play another game.

Ona može da počeše leđa, može da počeše nekog od nas, može da igra drugu igru.

By all purposes and means,

U svim slučajevima,

Aurora's brain has incorporated that artificial device

Aurorin mozak je uključio ovaj veštački uređaj

as an extension of her body.

kao produžetak njenog tela.

The model of the self that Aurora had in her mind

Model sebe koji je Aurora imala na umu

has been expanded to get one more arm.

se proširio na to da dobije još jednu ruku.

Well, we did that 10 years ago.

To smo uradili pre 10 godina.

Just fast forward 10 years.

Samo premotajte unapred za 10 godina.

Just last year we realized that you don't even need to have a robotic device.

Prošle godine smo shvatili da čak ne treba da imate ni robotski uređaj.

You can just build a computational body, an avatar, a monkey avatar.

Možete samo da napravite kompjutersko telo, avatara, majmuna avatara.

And you can actually use it for our monkeys to either interact with them,

I možete ih koristiti za naše majmune za, ili interakciju sa njima,

or you can train them to assume in a virtual world

ili ih možete obučiti da pretpostave u virtuelnom svetu

the first-person perspective of that avatar

perspektivu prvog lica tog avatara

and use her brain activity to control the movements of the avatar's arms or legs.

i koriste njegovu moždanu aktivnost da kontrolišu pokrete avatarovih ruku ili nogu.

And what we did basically was to train the animals

I ono što smo u osnovi uradili bilo je da smo istrenirali životinje

to learn how to control these avatars

da nauče kako da kontrolišu ove avatare

and explore objects that appear in the virtual world.

i istražuju objekte koji se pojavljuju u virtuelnom svetu.

And these objects are visually identical,

I ovi objekti su vizuelno identični,

but when the avatar crosses the surface of these objects,

ali kad avatar pređe preko površine ovih objekata,

they send an electrical message that is proportional to the microtactile texture of the object

oni šalju električnu poruku koja je proporcionalna mikrotaktilnoj teksturi objekta

that goes back directly to the monkey's brain,

koja se vraća direktno u majmunov mozak,

informing the brain what it is the avatar is touching.

obaveštavajući mozak šta je to što avatar dodiruje.

And in just four weeks, the brain learns to process this new sensation

I za samo četiri nedelje, mozak uči da obrađuje ovaj novi osećaj

and acquires a new sensory pathway -- like a new sense.

i dobija novi senzorni put - kao nov osećaj.

And you truly liberate the brain now

I vi sada stvarno oslobađate mozak

because you are allowing the brain to send motor commands to move this avatar.

zato što dozvoljavate mozgu da šalje motorne komande za pomeranje ovog avatara.

And the feedback that comes from the avatar is being processed directly by the brain

I povratnu reakciju koja dolazi od avatara obrađuje direktno mozak

without the interference of the skin.

bez uplitanja kože.

So what you see here is this is the design of the task.

Ono što vidite ovde je dizajn zadatka.

You're going to see an animal basically touching these three targets.

Videćete životinju koja u suštini dodiruje ove tri mete.

And he has to select one because only one carries the reward,

I mora da izabere jednu jer samo jedna nosi nagradu,

the orange juice that they want to get.

sok od pomorandže koji oni žele da dobiju.

And he has to select it by touch using a virtual arm, an arm that doesn't exist.

I mora da izabere dodirom koristeći virtuelnu ruku, ruku koja ne postoji.

And that's exactly what they do.

I to je upravo ono što i rade.

This is a complete liberation of the brain

Ovo je kompletno oslobađanje mozga

from the physical constraints of the body and the motor in a perceptual task.

od fizičkog ograničenja tela i motora opažajnog zadatka.

The animal is controlling the avatar to touch the targets.

Životinja kontroliše avatar da bi dodirnula mete.

And he's sensing the texture by receiving an electrical message directly in the brain.

I ona oseća teksturu tako što prima električnu poruku direktno u mozak.

And the brain is deciding what is the texture associated with the reward.

I mozak odlučuje koja tekstura je povezana sa nagradom.

The legends that you see in the movie don't appear for the monkey.

Objašnjenja koja vidite na filmu ne pojavljuju se zbog majmuna.

And by the way, they don't read English anyway,

Oni ionako ne znaju da čitaju engleski,

so they are here just for you to know that the correct target is shifting position.

tako da su ona ovde samo zbog vas da znate tačnu metu koja menja položaj.

And yet, they can find them by tactile discrimination,

I opet, oni mogu da ih nađu pomoću dodirnog razlikovanja,

and they can press it and select it.

i mogu da je pritisnu i izaberu.

So when we look at the brains of these animals,

Tako da kad pogledamo mozgove ovih životinja,

on the top panel you see the alignment of 125 cells

na gornjem panelu vidite raspored 125 ćelija

showing what happens with the brain activity, the electrical storms,

koji pokazuje šta se dešava sa moždanom aktivnošću, sa električnim olujama,

of this sample of neurons in the brain

ovog uzorka neurona u mozgu

when the animal is using a joystick.

kada životinja koristi džojstik.

And that's a picture that every neurophysiologist knows.

I to je slika koju svaki neurofiziolog zna.

The basic alignment shows that these cells are coding for all possible directions.

Osnovni raspored pokazuje da se ove ćelije kodiraju za sve moguće pravce.

The bottom picture is what happens when the body stops moving

Donja slika pokazuje šta se dešava kada telo prestane da se pomera

and the animal starts controlling either a robotic device or a computational avatar.

i životinja počne da kontroliše bilo robotski uređaj ili kompjuterskog avatara.

As fast as we can reset our computers,

Koliko god brzo možemo da resetujemo naše kompjutere,

the brain activity shifts to start representing this new tool,

moždana aktivnost se menja da bi počela da predstavlja ovaj novi alat,

as if this too was a part of that primate's body.

kao da je to takođe deo tela tog primata.

The brain is assimilating that too, as fast as we can measure.

Mozak to usvaja takođe, onoliko brzo koliko to možemo da izmerimo.

So that suggests to us that our sense of self

Tako da nam to pokazuje da se naš osećaj sebe

does not end at the last layer of the epithelium of our bodies,

ne završava u poslednjem sloju epitela naših tela,

but it ends at the last layer of electrons of the tools that we're commanding with our brains.

nego se završava u poslednjem sloju elektrona alata kojima upravljamo pomoću naših mozgova.

Our violins, our cars, our bicycles, our soccer balls, our clothing --

Naše violine, naša kola, naši bicikli, naše fudbalske lopte, naša odeća -

they all become assimilated by this voracious, amazing, dynamic system called the brain.

sve to se asimiluje ovim halapljivim, neverovatnim, dinamičkim sistemom zvanim mozak.

How far can we take it?

Koliko daleko možemo da odemo?

Well, in an experiment that we ran a few years ago, we took this to the limit.

U eksperimentu koji smo sproveli pre nekoliko godina, odveli smo ovo do krajnjih granica.

We had an animal running on a treadmill

Stavili smo životinju da trči na točku koji se okreće

at Duke University on the East Coast of the United States,

na Djuk univerzitetu na istočnoj obali Sjedinjenih Država,

producing the brainstorms necessary to move.

koja proizvodi moždane oluje potrebne za kretanje.

And we had a robotic device, a humanoid robot,

I imali smo robotski uređaj, humanoidnog robota,

in Kyoto, Japan at ATR Laboratories

u Kjotu, u Japanu u ATR Laboratorijama,

that was dreaming its entire life to be controlled by a brain,

koji je sanjao celog života da ga kontroliše mozak,

a human brain, or a primate brain.

ljudski mozak ili mozak primata.

What happens here is that the brain activity that generated the movements in the monkey

Ovde se dešava da je moždana aktivnost koja generiše pokrete majmuna

was transmitted to Japan and made this robot walk

prenesena u Japan i pokrenula robota

while footage of this walking was sent back to Duke,

dok je snimak ovog hodanja poslat nazad u Djuk,

so that the monkey could see the legs of this robot walking in front of her.

da bi majmun video noge robota kako hodaju ispred njega,

So she could be rewarded, not by what her body was doing

Tako da je mogao da bude nagrađen, ne za ono što radi njegovo telo

but for every correct step of the robot on the other side of the planet

nego za svaki tačan korak robota na drugoj strani planete

controlled by her brain activity.

koga kontroliše njegova moždana aktivnost.

Funny thing, that round trip around the globe took 20 milliseconds less

Zanimljiva stvar, taj povratni put oko zemljine kugle trajao je 20 milisekundi kraće

than it takes for that brainstorm to leave its head, the head of the monkey,

nego što je trebalo toj moždanoj oluji da napusti glavu, glavu majmuna,

and reach its own muscle.

i stigne do sopstvenog mišića.

The monkey was moving a robot that was six times bigger, across the planet.

Majmun je pomerao robota koji je bio šest puta veći, preko planete.

This is one of the experiments in which that robot was able to walk autonomously.

Ovo je jedan od eksperimenata u kome je robot mogao da hoda nezavisno.

This is CB1 fulfilling its dream in Japan

Ovo je CB1 kako ispunjava svoj san u Japanu

under the control of the brain activity of a primate.

pod kontrolom moždane aktivnosti primata.

So where are we taking all this?

Dakle kuda ćemo ovo da odvedemo?

What are we going to do with all this research,

Šta ćemo da uradimo sa svim ovim istraživanjem,

besides studying the properties of this dynamic universe that we have between our ears?

pored proučavanja osobina ovog dinamičnog univerzuma između naših ušiju?

Well the idea is to take all this knowledge and technology

Ideja je da se uzme sve ovo znanje i tehnologija

and try to restore one of the most severe neurological problems that we have in the world.

i da se pokuša da se reši jedan od najtežih neuroloških problema na svetu.

Millions of people have lost the ability to translate these brainstorms

Milioni ljudi su izgubili sposobnost da prevedu ove moždane oluje

into action, into movement.

u akciju, u pokret.

Although their brains continue to produce those storms and code for movements,

Iako njihovi mozgovi nastavljaju da proizvode oluje i kodove za pokrete,

they cannot cross a barrier that was created by a lesion on the spinal cord.

oni ne mogu da pređu barijeru koju je napravila povreda u kičmenoj moždini.

So our idea is to create a bypass,

Naša ideja je da napravimo zaobilaznicu (bajpas),

is to use these brain-machine interfaces to read these signals,

da iskoristimo ove sisteme moždane mašine da pročitamo ove signale,

larger-scale brainstorms that contain the desire to move again,

veće moždane oluje koje sadrže potrebu da se pokrenu ponovo,

bypass the lesion using computational microengineering

zaobilazeći povredu koristeći kompjuterski mikroinženjering

and send it to a new body, a whole body called an exoskeleton,

i pošaljemo ih u novo telo, čitavo telo zvano egzoskelet,

a whole robotic suit that will become the new body of these patients.

celo robotsko odelo koje će postati novo telo ovih pacijenata.

And you can see an image produced by this consortium.

I možete da vidite sliku koju je napravio ovaj konzorcijum.

This is a nonprofit consortium called the Walk Again Project

Ovo je neprofitni konzorcijum zvani projekat "Hodajmo ponovo"

that is putting together scientists from Europe,

koji spaja naučnike iz Evrope,

from here in the United States, and in Brazil

odavde iz Sjedinjenih Država i Brazila

together to work to actually get this new body built --

da bi radili zajedno na pravljenju ovog novog tela -

a body that we believe, through the same plastic mechanisms

tela za koje verujemo, kroz iste plastične mehanizme

that allow Aurora and other monkeys to use these tools through a brain-machine interface

koji su omogućavali Aurori i drugim majmunima da koriste ove alate pomoću sistema moždane mašine

and that allows us to incorporate the tools that we produce and use in our daily life.

i koji omogućavaju nama da objedinimo alate koje proizvodimo i koristimo u svakodnevnom životu.

This same mechanism, we hope, will allow these patients,

Ovaj mehanizam, nadamo se, omogućiće ovim pacijentima,

not only to imagine again the movements that they want to make

ne samo da zamisle ponovo pokrete koje žele da naprave

and translate them into movements of this new body,

i prevedu ih u pokrete ovog novog tela,

but for this body to be assimilated as the new body that the brain controls.

nego da prihvate ovo telo kao novo telo koje mozak kontroliše.

So I was told about 10 years ago

Rekli su mi pre 10 godina

that this would never happen, that this was close to impossible.

da se ovo nikad neće desiti, da je to skoro nemoguće.

And I can only tell you that as a scientist,

A ja samo mogu da vam kažem kao naučnik,

I grew up in southern Brazil in the mid-'60s

odrastao sam u južnom Brazilu sredinom šezdesetih

watching a few crazy guys telling [us] that they would go to the Moon.

gledajući nekoliko ludaka koji su govorili da će da odu na Mesec.

And I was five years old,

I kad sam imao pet godina,

and I never understood why NASA didn't hire Captain Kirk and Spock to do the job;

i nikad nisam razumeo zašto NASA nije uzela Kapetana Kirka i Spoka za taj posao;

after all, they were very proficient --

ipak, bili su veoma iskusni -

but just seeing that as a kid

ali samo gledajući kao dete

made me believe, as my grandmother used to tell me,

nateralo me je da poverujem, kao što mi je baka govorila,

that "impossible is just the possible

da je "nemoguće samo moguće

that someone has not put in enough effort to make it come true."

za koje se neko nije potrudio da ga ostvari".

So they told me that it's impossible to make someone walk.

Govorili su mi da je nemoguće da se učini da neko prohoda.

I think I'm going to follow my grandmother's advice.

Mislim da ću slediti bakin savet.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)