PINKERTON LECTURE 2012 – "CONNECTING COMPUTERS WITH THE HUMAN BRAIN”

         Founded 140 years ago and headquartered in the UK, the IET is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the Engineering and Technology community. The IET has more than 150,000 members in 127 countries, with active network of members in 37 countries. To support its worldwide membership, it has offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The IET provides a global knowledge network to facilitate the exchange of ideas and promote the positive role of Science, Engineering and Technology in the world. This knowledge sharing focuses on five sectors: built environment, design and production, energy, information and communications, and transport. In support of these sectors, the IET organizes over 120 conferences and events every year.

         The IET Academic Affiliates scheme provides a formal platform for universities and colleges to engage with the IET. Vickram College of Engineering is the first college in South India to become an IET Academic Affiliate. Ever since becoming an Academic Affiliate of the IET, VICKRAMCE is maintaining a strong link with the who's who of the industry and academia while showcasing its achievements through IET partners and member channels.

        The Pinkerton lecture series is hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology in commemoration and honor of John Pinkerton, the pivotal engineer who was involved in designing the UK's first business computer in 1951. The first lecture was held in 2000 and the event has taken place every year since then. The IET Pinkerton Lecture 2012 - “Connecting Computers with the Human Brain” was held in Infosys Limited, Bengaluru on November 23, 2012 between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm. Prof. Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics, University of Reading, the United Kingdom was the invited speaker and Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Limited chaired the session.

        Prof. Kevin Warwick carries out research in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyborgs. He was born in Coventry, UK and left school to join British Telecom, at the age of 16. At 22, he took his first degree at Aston University, followed by a PhD. He has been awarded higher doctorates (Dsc) both by Imperial College and the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, and received Honorary Doctorates from Aston University, Coventry University, Bradford University, Robert Gordon University, University of Bedfordshire and Portsmouth University. He subsequently held positions at Oxford, Newcastle and Warwick Universities before being offered the Chair at Reading, at the age of 33. Perhaps Kevin is best known for his pioneering experiments involving a neuro-surgical implantation into the median nerves of his left arm to link his nervous system directly to a computer to assess the latest technology for use with the disabled. His present research involves the invention of an intelligent deep brain stimulator to counteract the effects of Parkinson Disease tremors. Another project involves the use of cultured/biological neural networks to drive robots around – the brain of each robot is made of neural tissue. He has published over 500 research papers, and have been honored with several prestigious awards like The Future of Health Technology Award in MIT and has received the IEE Senior Achievement Medal, the IET Mountbatten Medal and in 2011 the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine. Kevin’s experiments into implant technology led to him being featured as the cover story on the US magazine, ‘Wired’.

        Twenty Two IET-VICKRAMCE Student Members from the First Year namely, T.B. Jegadesh, M. Yazhini, K.B. Nithin, B. Muthukumar, S. Ananth, G. Praveen Kumar, Hariram Kishan Singh, A. Vinitha Devi, K. Karanthamalai, T. Deepika, Sujith John, S. Mohamed Thalka, R. Keerthika, M. Nishanth Kumar, V.L. Lavanya, R. Hariharan, A. Priyadharshini, S. Janani, N. Dinesh Durai, K. Dheenadhayalan, S. Praveen Kumar and U. Kavipriya along with Four Faculty Members viz Dr. J. Anto Pradeep, Asst.Prof. / Physics, Mr. B. Prakash, Senior Lecturer / Physics, Ms. B. Surya Devi, Senior Lecturer / Mathematics and Dr. S.P. Suriya Prabha, Asst.Prof. / Mathematics attended the lecture in Bengaluru. Our students also served as volunteers for the program. Around eighty IET-VICKRAMCE Student Members watched the lecture in the Main Block Conference Hall through Web Casting.

        The Pinkerton Lecture 2012 focused on several ways in which the human brain can be connected directly with technology and computers. There are a number of areas in which such technology has already had a profound effect, a key element being the need for a clear interface linking a biological brain directly with computer technology. Some of these are for medical purposes whereas others are more for research and look clearly to the future. Some procedures are well tried and tested whereas others are more speculative and, at this time, purely experimental. The emphasis was clearly placed on experimental scientific studies that have been and are being undertaken and reported on. The area of focus was notably the need for a biological/technological connection, where a link is made directly with the cerebral cortex and/or nervous system. This lecture also considered the future in which robots have biological or part-biological brains and in which neural implants link the human nervous system bidirectionally with technology and the Internet. In particular, the lecture took a practical view on how implant and electrode technology can be employed to create biological (human neuron) brains for robots, to enable human enhancement and to diminish the effects of certain neural illnesses. Videos were also screened during the lecture and they enhanced the interest and comprehension of the audience.

        Our students expressed their gratitude for providing them with an opportunity to be a part of the Pinkerton Lecture 2012. They evinced their hearty appreciation for the lecture in that it was highly technical, substantiated by ample research and experimental results and at the same time closely related to our day to day life. They were full of high-spirited delight for being exposed to a highly professional, technical, multicultural and posh atmosphere at the Infosys. They are jubilant for getting an opportunity to attend the lecture and mingle with the fellow IET members from various parts of our country. The lecture has kindled interests for research in the young minds of our students. The lecture has motivated them a lot and has lifted their spirits up.

        To put in a nutshell, Prof. Kevin Warwick through his lecture took the audience through different methods that exist to connect human brain to various technology devices and highlighted where they may take us in the near future. He manifested the current advances in linking the human brain with computers to gain an insight into a future where robots have biological brains and humans have neural implants.