The Brain Electric: The Dramatic High-Tech Race to Merge Minds and Machines

The Brain Electric is a useful overview for general readers of the state of the art for brain-machine interfaces in the first decade of the 21st century. Malcolm Gay has done his research; there is a well-written notes section that discusses important papers to read for those who would like to delve further into this field. I enjoyed learning about the human side of this area of neuroscience research especially a bit about the patients that have been the pioneers of this research.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Malcolm Gay did a great job of communicating the nature of brain research and the state of technology regarding human thought as it is being used to control movement of prosthetic devices. But he also went further, exploring the human nature of the scientists, their competitiveness, what they think of each other's work, and their occasional efforts to outmaneuver or trash each other, etc. This, too, is a fascinating element of the story. Another notable element of the author's style is the concise descriptions of the characters, which give the reader a unique mental image for each one. Excellent work!

I liked the clarity of the author’s prose in transmitting complex information to lay readers. Also, his effort to accurately present the timeline of progress in baron exploration. His writing style is crisp, energetic and fun to read.

Mr.Gay did a fabulous job of making very complex scientific jargon understandable by the lay person. I found the race for BCI superiority fascinating. As impressive as the breakthrough work being done were the feuds between the scientists! It is fun to see the human side of science, and I had no idea the field was so competitive. Excellent Job, and a good read.

This is a great book from the beginning to the end (that, in a way, is a new beginning). The prose is agile, the technical terms and processes are explained in a clear way and the human stories behind the high-tech race to merge minds and machines are quite touching.

Not a perfect book but one with a wonderful story and sense of two things:1. How research takes us where we could not even imagine we could or would go.2. How the bravest people are frequently those with nothing to give except themselves in love.

An introduction to BCI. Short read. Started reading Eric Leuthardt's patents. Fascinating.

very interesting!

I have a decent backing in science: an engineering background and a family fascinated with neuroscience...but I'm also a huge sci-fi but: loving flicks like The Matrix and animes like Sword Art Online. I like questions that probe into the "self" and what is really reality, and this book does just that.It also does so in an accessible way. I find scientific articles terribly dry and boring, but Malcolm Gay presents the story in a way that keeps me engaged. Moreover, it makes me find these terribly dry articles and work through them, so I may get a glimpse into what the future of brain-computer interfaces hold.How it's going to alleviate the suffering of those faced with paralysis or stroke. How it's going to enable a more intimate connection between ourselves and technology, ourselves and others, and ourselves...and ourselves.While we are a long way off from uploading our consciousness into a computer and achieving a pseudo immortality, or be able to switch "sleeves" as I'm Altered Carbon...I think this book acts as a great signpost in the dark at the beginning of this next great venture...