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

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: illusion Hung 審譯者: Lyra Wei-Chieh Wang

The kind of neuroscience that I do and my colleagues do

我和同事們所做的神經科學研究

is almost like the weatherman.

幾乎就像天氣預報員的工作

We are always chasing storms.

我們總是追逐風暴

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

我們希望目睹及測量風暴－ 我指的是腦風暴，所謂的腦力激盪

And we all talk about brainstorms in our daily lives,

我們平日總是談論腦風暴

but we rarely see or listen to one.

但幾乎不曾實際目睹或聽聞

So I always like to start these talks

所以我總喜歡

by actually introducing you to one of them.

以其中一個實例作為演講的開場白

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

事實上，我們首次記錄超過一個神經元－

a hundred brain cells simultaneously --

同時記錄一百個腦細胞

we could measure the electrical sparks

我們可以測量

of a hundred cells in the same animal,

同一隻動物的一百個腦細胞電波

this is the first image we got,

這是我們首次紀錄的圖像

the first 10 seconds of this recording.

前10秒的圖像紀錄

So we got a little snippet of a thought,

因此我們有了一些想法

and we could see it in front of us.

我們可以將它呈現在眼前

I always tell the students

我總是告訴學生

that we could also call neuroscientists some sort of astronomer,

我們也可將神經科學家視為某種天文學家

because we are dealing with a system

因為我們處理的系統

that is only comparable in terms of number of cells

以細胞數量來說，是唯一能媲美

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

宇宙中星系數量的系統

And here we are, out of billions of neurons,

其中存在超過十億個神經元

just recording, 10 years ago, a hundred.

10年前，我們僅記錄到其中100個

We are doing a thousand now.

現在我們可記錄到1000個

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

我們希望瞭解關於人類特質的基本面

Because, if you don't know yet,

因為，如果你還不知道

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

我們定義的一切人類特質均來自於這些風暴

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

來自這些在大腦中四處穿梭的風暴

and define our memories, our beliefs,

它定義了我們的記憶、我們的信念

our feelings, our plans for the future.

我們的感覺、我們未來的計劃

Everything that we ever do,

我們曾經做過的一切

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

每個人曾經做過、正在做或即將做的一切

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

需要眾多神經元賣力地產生這種風暴

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

腦風暴的聲音，如果你不曾聽過

is somewhat like this.

類似這樣

You can put it louder if you can.

你可以將它放大

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

我兒子稱之為「一邊做爆米花 一邊聽頻道未調準的AM電台」

This is a brain.

這是大腦

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

這是當你將電波風暴 以擴音器放大時的情況

and you listen to a hundred brain cells firing,

你聽見的是一百個腦細胞發出的聲音

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

你的大腦會發出這樣的聲音－ 我的大腦、任何人的大腦皆是

And what we want to do as neuroscientists in this time

身為神經科學家的我們目前想做的

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

就是實際聆聽這些交響樂 大腦演奏的交響樂

and try to extract from them the messages they carry.

試著擷取它們所攜帶的訊息

In particular, about 12 years ago

尤其是，大約12年前

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

我們創造了一個名為腦機介面的裝置

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

這是一張說明其運作方式的流程圖

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

其中的想法是，我們使用一些 感應器，聆聽這些風暴、這些電波

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

觀察是否能夠

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

在風暴離開腦部 抵達某隻動物的腿或手臂同時

about half a second --

大約需要半秒時間－

let's see if we can read these signals,

觀察是否能讀取這些訊號

extract the motor messages that are embedded in it,

擷取其中嵌入的動作訊息

translate it into digital commands

將它轉譯成數位指令

and send it to an artificial device

發送到一個人工裝置中

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

即時重現大腦自主運動的情況

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

觀察是否能測量訊息轉譯程度

when we compare to the way the body does that.

當我們將它與身體實際運動情形比較時

And if we can actually provide feedback,

如果我們確實得到回饋機制

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

即此時在大腦控制下 由機器人、機械或計算執行裝置

that is now under the control of the brain,

傳回的感覺訊號

back to the brain,

傳回大腦

how the brain deals with that,

觀察大腦如何處理

of receiving messages from an artificial piece of machinery.

來自人工機械裝置的訊息

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

這正是我們10年前進行的研究

We started with a superstar monkey called Aurora

我們首先以一隻名為 Aurora的明星猴進行實驗

that became one of the superstars of this field.

她已成為這個領域的超級巨星之一

And Aurora liked to play video games.

Aurora喜歡玩電子遊戲

As you can see here,

如你們在圖中所見

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

她喜歡使用搖桿，就像任何人 任何孩子一樣，玩這個遊戲

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

身為聰慧的靈長類動物 她甚至試著在得到正確答案前做假動作

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

因此，甚至在目標出現之前

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

她已試著用搖桿控制的游標劃過螢幕

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

Aurora試著尋找目標，無論它在何處

And if she's doing that,

如果她這麼做

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

因為每當她將小游標劃過目標

she gets a drop of Brazilian orange juice.

就能得到一滴巴西橙汁

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

我可以告訴大家，猴子會為你做任何事

if you get a little drop of Brazilian orange juice.

只要你給牠一小滴巴西橙汁

Actually any primate will do that.

事實上，任何靈長類動物皆是如此

Think about that.

想想這一點

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

好，當Aurora 玩這個遊戲時，如各位所見

and doing a thousand trials a day

每天重複上千次

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

獲得97 %正確率和350毫升橙汁

we are recording the brainstorms that are produced in her head

我們記錄她大腦中產生的腦風暴

and sending them to a robotic arm

將它傳送到機械臂中

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

讓它學習重現Aurora所做的動作

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

因為其中的想法是 確實將這個腦機介面開啟

and have Aurora play the game just by thinking,

讓Aurora僅藉由思考進行這個遊戲

without interference of her body.

不需以她的身體為媒介

Her brainstorms would control an arm

她的腦風暴將控制機械臂

that would move the cursor and cross the target.

使游標移動，劃過目標

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

令我們震驚的是，這正是Aurora所做的

She played the game without moving her body.

她不需移動身體即可進行這個遊戲

So every trajectory that you see of the cursor now,

因此，現在你所見的每一道游標移動軌跡

this is the exact first moment she got that.

這正是她首次成功的一刻

That's the exact first moment

這是史上第一次

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

靈長類動物體內釋放的大腦意志

and could act outside, in that outside world,

能表現在外，顯露於體外的世界

just by controlling an artificial device.

僅藉由控制某種人工裝置

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

Aurora持續地玩這個遊戲 持續地尋找這個小目標

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

得到她想要且渴望的橙汁

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

好，她這麼做的原因是 就在那時，她獲得一條新手臂

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

你在影片中所見的移動機械臂

after the first video that I showed to you,

拍攝於我展示的第一部影片後30天

is under the control of Aurora's brain

它在Aurora大腦控制下

and is moving the cursor to get to the target.

將游標移動到目標上

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

Aurora現在知道 她可以利用這條機械臂玩遊戲

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

但她並未失去 使用原有手臂、進行她想做的事的能力

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

她可以抓背、可以抓我們當中 任何一人、可以玩其他遊戲

By all purposes and means,

總之

Aurora's brain has incorporated that artificial device

Aurora的大腦已和那個人工裝置融為一體

as an extension of her body.

將它視為身體的延伸物

The model of the self that Aurora had in her mind

Aurora腦海裡的自我模型

has been expanded to get one more arm.

已獲得延伸，得到另一隻手臂

Well, we did that 10 years ago.

好，這是我們10年前的研究

Just fast forward 10 years.

只是迅速回顧一下10年前的進展

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

去年，我們發現 你甚至不需使用機械裝置

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

你可以建構一個數位身體 一個化身，一個猴子化身

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

事實上，你可以讓猴子與它互動

or you can train them to assume in a virtual world

或在虛擬世界當中訓練它

the first-person perspective of that avatar

以化身呈現第一人稱視角

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

利用她大腦的活動 控制化身的手臂或腿部動作

And what we did basically was to train the animals

基本上，我們所做的是訓練動物

to learn how to control these avatars

學習如何控制這些化身

and explore objects that appear in the virtual world.

探索出現在虛擬世界中的物體

And these objects are visually identical,

這些物體外觀相同

but when the avatar crosses the surface of these objects,

但當化身劃這些物體的表面時

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

它們將傳送 與物體表面紋理相應的電波訊息

that goes back directly to the monkey's brain,

直接傳回猴子的大腦

informing the brain what it is the avatar is touching.

通知大腦化身所接觸的是什麼

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

在短短4週內，大腦學習處理這種新感覺

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

獲得全新的感知途徑－就像一種新感官

And you truly liberate the brain now

現在你真正解放了大腦

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

因為你使大腦發送動作指令，移動這個化身

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

大腦直接處理來自化身的回饋訊號

without the interference of the skin.

不需以皮膚為媒介

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

你所見的圖片是這項任務的設計

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

基本上你會看見動物觸摸這三個目標

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

牠必須選擇其中之一 因為只有一個帶有獎勵

the orange juice that they want to get.

即牠們想得到的橙汁

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

牠必須藉由虛擬手臂的觸摸進行選擇 一隻不存在的手臂

And that's exactly what they do.

這正是牠們所做的

This is a complete liberation of the brain

這是大腦完全從

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

身體的生理限制解放 進行知覺任務中的動作

The animal is controlling the avatar to touch the targets.

動物控制化身、觸摸目標

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

藉由直接進入大腦的電波訊號感知紋理

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

大腦決定何種紋理帶有獎勵

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

你在電影中所見的傳說不會出現在猴子身上

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

順帶一提，牠們根本看不懂英語

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

因此這些文字只是為了 讓你們知道正確目標的位置不斷移動

And yet, they can find them by tactile discrimination,

但牠們可藉由觸覺差異找到正確目標

and they can press it and select it.

牠們可藉由按壓進行選擇

So when we look at the brains of these animals,

因此，當我們觀察這些動物的大腦

on the top panel you see the alignment of 125 cells

上方圖表是由125個細胞組成的陣列

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

顯示在這個例子中，隨著大腦活動

of this sample of neurons in the brain

大腦中的神經元所產生電波風暴

when the animal is using a joystick.

當動物使用搖桿時

And that's a picture that every neurophysiologist knows.

這是每位神經生理學家都熟知的圖表

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

這個基本陣列顯示 這些細胞對應的所有可能方向

The bottom picture is what happens when the body stops moving

下方圖表是當身體停止移動

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

動物開始控制機械裝置或數位化身的情形

As fast as we can reset our computers,

如同重啟電腦般迅速地

the brain activity shifts to start representing this new tool,

大腦的活動開始轉移到這項新工具

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

彷彿它也是這隻靈長類動物身體的一部分

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

大腦也如同我們測量般 迅速地與其融為一體

So that suggests to us that our sense of self

因此這讓我們瞭解，我們的自我意識

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

並非終止於身體最外層的上皮細胞

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

而是終止於我們 大腦控制的工具之最外層電子

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

我們的小提琴 汽車、自行車、足球和服裝

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

全都被這個貪婪、驚人 名為大腦的動態系統同化

How far can we take it?

我們能將這項研究發展到什麼程度？

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

好，在幾年前所做的一個實驗中 我們將這項研究發展到極限

We had an animal running on a treadmill

我們讓一隻動物在跑步機上跑步

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

在美國東岸的杜克大學

producing the brainstorms necessary to move.

產生足以傳送的腦風暴

And we had a robotic device, a humanoid robot,

我們使用一個機械裝置，一個人形機器人

in Kyoto, Japan at ATR Laboratories

在日本京都的ATR實驗室

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

它畢生的夢想就是藉由大腦的控制行動

a human brain, or a primate brain.

人類的大腦，或靈長類動物的大腦

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

圖中所示的情形是 由猴子大腦活動產生的動作

was transmitted to Japan and made this robot walk

傳送到日本，使機器人行走

while footage of this walking was sent back to Duke,

行走的畫面同時傳回杜克大學

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

因此猴子可以看見 機器人的腿在她面前行走

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

她可以得到獎勵，不是因為她身體的動作

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

而是因為在她大腦活動的控制下

controlled by her brain activity.

使地球另一端的機器人 踏出的每一個正確步伐

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

有趣的是 這趟來回繞行大半個地球的旅程所耗時間

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

比腦風暴離開猴子大腦

and reach its own muscle.

抵達牠本身肌肉所耗時間少了20毫秒

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

猴子使遠在地球另一端 體型比牠大6倍的機器人移動

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

這是使機器人自主行走的實驗之一

This is CB1 fulfilling its dream in Japan

CB1（機器人名稱）在日本實現了夢想

under the control of the brain activity of a primate.

在靈長類動物的大腦活動控制下

So where are we taking all this?

那麼，我們將如何發展這一切？

What are we going to do with all this research,

我們將如何應用這些研究？

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

除了研究這個 位於兩耳之間的動態宇宙性質？

Well the idea is to take all this knowledge and technology

好，我們的想法是 利用這所有的知識和技術

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

試著修復世上最嚴重的神經問題之一

Millions of people have lost the ability to translate these brainstorms

數百萬人已失去轉譯這些腦風暴的能力

into action, into movement.

轉譯成動作、行動

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

雖然他們的大腦 持續產生這些風暴和動作代碼

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

但它們無法跨越某種脊髓病變產生的障礙

So our idea is to create a bypass,

因此我們的想法是，創造另一條路徑

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

利用腦機介面讀取訊號

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

讀取大規模的腦風暴 包括再次行動的渴望

bypass the lesion using computational microengineering

藉由微型電子裝置繞過病變處

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

將訊號傳送到一個名為外骨骼的新身體

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

一件將成為病患新身體的機械服

And you can see an image produced by this consortium.

你可以看見這個組織提供的圖片

This is a nonprofit consortium called the Walk Again Project

這是一個名為 「再次行走計畫」的非盈利組織

that is putting together scientists from Europe,

集合了來自歐洲

from here in the United States, and in Brazil

美國和巴西的科學家

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

攜手合作，實際建造這個新身體

a body that we believe, through the same plastic mechanisms

我們相信，藉由如圖中的塑膠裝置

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

可使Aurora和其他猴子 藉由腦機介面使用這些工具

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

也可使我們與日常生活工具融為一體

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

我們希望同樣的裝置能使這些病患

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

不僅是再次想像他們希望做到的動作

and translate them into movements of this new body,

將其轉譯為這個新身體的動作

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

也能使這個身體成為大腦所控制新身體

So I was told about 10 years ago

因此，大約10年前，有人告訴我

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

這個想法永遠不會成真 這幾乎是不可能的任務

And I can only tell you that as a scientist,

我只能告訴你，身為科學家

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

我於60年代中期在巴西南部長大

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

目睹一些瘋狂的傢伙說，他們要前往月球

And I was five years old,

當時5歲的我

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

無法理解NASA為何不聘請 寇克艦長和史巴克做這項工作

after all, they were very proficient --

畢竟他們非常專業

but just seeing that as a kid

但身為孩子的我，僅是目睹這一切

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

就足以相信，如祖母經常告訴我的

that "impossible is just the possible

「所謂的不可能，很可能只是」

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

「某人並未盡力實現夢想」

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

因此，當有人告訴我 不可能使某人恢復行走能力時

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

我想我會聽從祖母的忠告

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）