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The human race is on the brink of connecting mind and matter, profoundly expanding the human brain’s power and potential. A technology startup company has perfected a brain/computer interface that could accelerate the speed of thought by up to 100,000 times that of an average Nobel Prize winner.

“Sure, there is alarmingly high potential to use this technology for evil,” said Dr. Madhur Chowdhury (above, left), “but we’re trying to focus on the positive.”

For more than a year, neuroscientists from Berlin-based BrainOps have been working on the highly secretive project Xerebrum alongside developers of SAP HANA, SAP’s flagship in-memory platform.

“We have amazed even ourselves with a breakthrough that will benefit the entire world,” said Dr. Madhur Chowdhury, lead neuroscientist with BrainOps. “In the time it takes you to decide what you’ll wear this morning, you could compose a four-movement piano sonata -- or Justin Bieber’s next album!”

Think Like Never Before

A direct brain/computer interface has never been feasible before, but Xerebrum is a quantum leap in human intellectual capacity. It enables humans to analyze large quantities of data in real real time.

“People will think like never before, Chowdhury said. And cloud computing will allow frequent mind-blowing updates.

Industry analysts see an entire new market opening up, particularly in the areas of research, education and healthcare. In the future, every human could become an integral piece of the business network, serving as simultaneous data users and providers for the Internet of Things.

No More Keyboards, Mice or Touch Screens

Xerebrum’s interface eliminates the normal design and user-experience issues associated with computer software. And all it takes to get started is a lengthy, unproven and excruciating surgery on the brain and spinal cord.

“By applying design thinking to this project, we have been able to leapfrog many issues associated with normal human-machine interaction,” said Oddbjörn Reynaldsson, head of product design for SAP. “Xerebrum offers true barrier-free computing – no more keyboards, touch screens, mice or voice input.”

Use cases for Xerebrum extend from business to private applications:

  • Workers require no computing devices because they will have round-the-clock access to masses of data and can process it directly in their brains.
  • Drivers require no more car accessories, such as radios, mp3 players, or navigation devices because they can be provided as neural plug-ins.
  • Physicians can cure scatter-brained behavior through simple software updates from the cloud.
  • Parents can find split-second answers to their children’s annoying questions.
  • Teenagers can engage friends via Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter during school lessons -- without a smartphone.

“We’re very excited about having completely eliminated latency between user and device,” SAP project manager Ahmjus Jochen said. “Our next challenge will be reducing transmission times by circumventing the speed of light.”

SAP will demo a prototype of its brain-to-SAP HANA interface at SAPPHIRE NOW, provided this April Fools’ Day joke ever becomes reality.

This blog was co-written by derek.klobucher and Paul Baur from the SAP News Center.

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