[ExI] Draft: Transhumanist Technical Roadmap

[Bryan Bishop]

I had an excellent time this evening in Austin with Natasha and Max (and 
apparently missed the #immortal chat with Betterhumans in the process). 
I also had the opportunity to discuss the roadmap. I have been drafting 
over the past week and think that now is a good time to show its work. 
I am asking for any comments, suggestions, ideas, etc., and in another 
week I'll throw up a copy on to a wiki somewhere and we can all edit it 
together. Lots of ideas to add, lots of goals and methods to achieve 
these goals. Let's get it done.

The draft is at and a copy is pasted below:
http://heybryan.org/transhuman/roadmap.html

Bryan's Transhumanist Technical Roadmap DRAFT
http://heybryan.org/ 
Nano
* Nanotech bibliography and BibTeX.

Brief notes
-- Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) requires atom holography and lasers 
for object-specific construction. I haven't been able to come up with 
better ideas (and I don't like waiting).
- Track down the carbon nanotube (CNT) recipes

Brief summary of atom holography: In the 1920s, Einstein and Bose 
hypothesized on a new type of matter that they called a condensate 
(BEC); and soon de Broglie hypothesized the wave/particle duality of 
both light (photons) and matter.. In the '90s, researchers (Ketterle, 
etc.) developed the first machines to make a BEC in the lab, and a 
Nobel prize was awarded for this research. These machines use the 
laser-cooling technique to bring down matter to ultracold temperatures 
inside vacuums. The MOT (magneto-optical trap) is used to guide atoms 
into the center of its chamber and then maybe three (red) lasers shine 
into the atoms from different directions such that the atoms have no 
where to move, and in this way they lose energy and eventually become a 
condensate where they exhibit this sort of 'shared' quantum wave. Over 
the last decade in Japan, Shimizu has been working on "atom holography" 
where a matter beam (magnetically controlled BEC) is shot into slits on 
a plate. These microscopic slits have electrodes that modulate an 
electric field, causing the matter beam to change shape as it passes 
through each of the different slits. Shimizu et al. have successfully 
written words and symbols using this technique, implanting atoms on a 
surface that are later viewable with electroscopes. Meystre at the 
University of Arizona has stated that "we could copy objects." Indeed- 
that and much more, perhaps even bootstrapping MNT. The BEC setups are 
estimated to cost $300k USD, but this is with all factory-purchased 
parts. ( I have a zip file of many important papers, and maybe 80 
megabytes of images of the setups, the schematics, etc. Also a large 
bibliography. ) 

Cryo
* Cryogenics bibliography and BibTeX.
* Towards the ability to cryogenically store material without crack 
formation
** Temp-curve fitting tech to ensure smooth/proper descent to cold temps
Insert here cryonics protocols (vitrification, preparation, etc.). 

Preservation of life, reincarnation, immortality
Fahy, Eugen Leitl, Ben Best

Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Cryonics Institute
American Cryonics Institution
Cryonics Society of Canada

CryoNet

LifeNet project: volunteer network that goes where-ever there are 
firestations and police stations. The goal is to minimize the amount of 
time to reach anybody who dies on the continent within 30 minutes and 
to cryogenically store them (they are already "dead": they might never 
know). Calculations show that there would need to be at least 150k 
locations and that there is one death every 14 hours per 50 km^2 
average in USA.

Neuro
paper archive (brain implants, MEAs, mindlinks, neurohacking)
previous notes
Add my notes on subminds plus mice experimentation
"Intelligence" augmentation and amplification
Multitasking and breaking out of our "action bottleneck"

The human action bottleneck is the amount of action that can be taken at 
any one time. While the human physiology maintains itself with parallel 
circuitry, metabolic pathways, and trillions of cells, human output is 
reduced to ten fingers, arms, legs, vocal output, etc., capping 
information output (not necessarily information production). There are 
rare individuals on the planet and throughout history who have 
seemingly broken out of action bottlenecks, in fact many have and are 
usually known as professors, who have the unique opportunity of 
exploring idea space with the help of their students, assistants, etc. 
However, this mindlink (proffessor-student) is poor and still suffers 
from action bottleneck especially as the system is scaled upwards and a 
beaurocracy develops. To remedy this situation, I propose research into 
direct neural interfaces with "subminds" such that information is 
directly transferred from the lobes of the mainbrain to other beings, 
either the typical brain-in-a-jar (with a robotic body), or to an 
untethered human body (maybe a clone, or maybe a monkey (opposable 
thumbs are useful)).

Submind connectivity will be similar to "mindbot" modularity. Mindbots 
are defined as software agents (or "bots") that interface directly with 
neurons and listen (sometimes speaking) for commands, analyzing the 
signal spikes and transforming the spikes into some computational 
action. The similarity between a submind and a mindbot (or agent or 
avatar) is useful and may provide for readily switchable brain 
components. For example, a simple and common mindbot already in 
production is the auditory prosthesis that listens to the air and 
whispers sounds to the neurons, or the more recent research that is 
expected to lead to a mute being able to talk via 41 neurons and some 
fancy analysis software within the next few weeks.

By porting redundant mental operations, or even physical tasks, to 
mindbots/agents/avatars, such as cooking, mowing lawns, calculating and 
doing basic algebra, screening job candidates, etc., the brain can 
leave the body to do other (important) tasks while maximizing the 
amount of action that one can take per second. Recently, Todd Drashner 
of Orion's Arm emailed the following, which is quite relevant to this 
idea:

On Thursday 25 October 2007 22:33, drashner1 wrote:
> As an example of the ideogenetic process, a modosophont might
> experience a snatch of rhythmic noise that inspires them to imagine a
> tune, which they may eventually turn into the basis for a piece of
> music, usually at some point days, weeks, or months after the initial
> experience. In contrast, a first singularity transapient experiencing
> the same bit of noise might produce several dozen pieces of complete
> music, usually in at least half a dozen styles, and a similar number
> of literary, visual, and performance art works, each supported by
> several hundred thousand words of commentary, notes, and scholarly
> writings on the subject of its own work. All within a minute of
> hearing the inspirational noise in the first place. And this same
> creative impulse can be applied to virtually every other event that
> the transapient experiences from moment to moment, all the time.

Becoming cyborgs
Decoding neural signals
Brain transplantation (White's experiments with monkeys)

Current tech does 5 MB/sec in/out of the human skull with at least 
100x100 tip MEAs. Kevin Warwick has demonstrated sensory 
augmentation/addition and human-human neural links. Roadmap: more 
biocompatible materials. Tissue damage due to heat and metal is not 
good. 

-- in the mean time I need to come up with enough cash to work with 
MOSIS on the implants (mice don't cost much).
At-home neurosurgery known as "trepanation" (do not forget metal plate 
to screw into skull).

## Mind Uploading
- http://minduploading.org/
- Mind Uploading Research Group (experimental worm-mind uploading)
- Joe Strout and his page
- Anders' page on MU

* Where is the old grass-roots open source group that was researching 
worm mind-uploading?

Experimental mind uploading:
- Whole brain simulation (brain data gathered via a variety of methods: 
Keith F. Lynch nanotech+urine idea, slice-and-scan, gen-eng'd colored 
proteins in neuro for imaging)
- Brain replacement (neuron-by-neuron).
Important: Non-nanotechnological mind uploading tactics.
-- Slice & scan method (see the connectome project)
-- Soft, incremental uploads or brain replacement (lobe-by-lobe)
--- Relatively recent "artificial hippocampus" (on a chip)
--- Cochlear implants

People are cryogenically frozen in the hopes that they will one day be 
thawed when a cure for some ailment is discovered; similiarly, it 
should be possible to maintain parts of people on life support 
indefinitely given AdG's anti-aging research. This will allow for 
neural tissue cultures or brain regions to be on life support (perhaps 
indefinitely) linked to silicon interfaces for living an otherwise 
typical life. How long can we keep neural tissue cultures alive? 

Astro
- Microlaunchers, open source
- Getting off the rock (organizations)
- Space vehicle designs
- Stable, reusable rockets
- Review of satellite engineering
- Laser communication
- LEO/XEO colony designs
- Asteroid mining bots (cite recent NASA news re: landing on an 
asteroid)
- Hydrogen harvesting procedures and planned operations (distant, yes)
- von Neumann probes (see my implementation notes)
- Megascale engineering plans (not immediately necessary)
- Space tether/evalator review (here?) (lots of fanboys)

Mallove, E. F., and Forward, R. L. Bibliography of Interstellar Travel 
and Communication. I. J. of Brit. Interplanetary Soc., 27, 921-943 
(1974); 11. J.B.I.S. 28, 191 - 219 (1975); 111. J.B.I.S. 28, 405 - 434, 
1975). 

Interstellar communication bibliography - I need a copy
Earth-to-orbit Transportation Bibliography
Joshua Fox recommends Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning 
Interstellar Exploration

There is a flourishing community of space pioneers in what is known 
as "NewSpace" (in contrast to dinospace) consisting of Bigelow, Masten 
Space, XCOR, Unreasonable Rocket, and lots of other teams that are 
busily working to get all sorts of probes, rockets, satellites, UAVs 
and other craft out into orbit and beyond. Local (citizen) rocket 
clubs. However, most of this tech and all of the collective experiences 
seem to be "behind closed-doors," it might be worthwhile to pursue some 
penetratence into that community, even if we can sneak in one or two 
observers that grab technical documentation and extrapolate or help arm 
commoners with the knowledge to get started, even if it means just 
going to make a CNC shop in a spare garage. 

Cloning
Present here an abstract look at what is possible with technology- cite 
Kuwabara, the Japanese researcher who built an "artificial womb" or the 
more recent researchers who have done IVF-on-a-chip. Find the 
original "Dolly the sheep" PDF. 

No longer requires embryonic stem (ES) cells (see recent Yamanaka 
research on iPS cells as well as Shoukhrat Mitalipov on cloned monkeys 
from skin cells)
Cloning humans from scratch
Organ cloning/vat-growth (see also "artificial meats" and vertical 
farming)
Human Cloning Foundation - looks unprofessional, assign some H+ web 
designers to go help them out
References Salient to SCNT
Human Cloning Handbook and theoretical cloning protocol -- both of these 
need improvement. Goal: human cloning in a garage, for anybody. 

Cloning also provides the unique opportunity for neuropsych research 
into the brain. With artificial wombs and Skinner boxes 
("baby-in-a-box") it is possible to completely specify all stimulation 
and inputs (like nutrients) through a model organism's life. Will 
similiar brain architectures emerge? What, then, will we learn through 
slice-by-slice brain upload scanning? Will we discover how precisely 
different stimulants alter neural tissues (comparative neuroanatomy)? 

Alt-bods
- News: fuel-powered artificial muscles and semi-artificial blood 
vessels.
- Redesigning the human biody, biomedical engineering, artificial organs 
(cochlear implants included), 
- Genetic engineering, antiaging, gerontology, Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey de Grey paper archive (zip, 25 megabytes)

AdG's research deserves a more thorough review. Basically, research is 
needed to figure out how to clean up metabolic waste and all of the 
extra gunk leftover in aged cells. Lysosomes need to be replenished. 
Mitochondria mutations need to be eliminated. AdG suggests stem cell 
replacement therapy every decade, a massive animal experiment to 
engineer immortal animals (for testing purposes and to stay ahead of 
us), and longevity-mice experiments within the next ten years. Insert 
here a more thorough summary of his papers (from the zip file). 

Alt-body projects can be of two main types: keep the human body or not. 
In the first case we see the development of "open prostheses" groups 
and in the second case there is the development of robots in labs all 
over the world. Robotic development is mainly geared towards AI 
research and not body replacements. However, with brain interfacing and 
brain-in-a-jar, robotic bodies can turn into ideal replacements. 

Synthetic Biology
Synbio review
- Venter's "minimal cell" project
- Cellular synthesis
-- Construct artificial cellular membrane that just barely works and 
hope that injected cellular mechanisms can slowly repair our poor 
substitute. Evidence that cells have membrane-repair tech: if meiosis 
allows for cellular replication, and cells are plus or minus the same 
volume, where's the surface area of the membrane coming from? So we do 
not need to mimic a mature cellular membrane.

Artificial neurotransmitter receptors ("deceptors" by Freudian-slip) to 
link with GTP molecules in underlying membrane surface re: cellular 
signal transduction pathways. "Mind expanding" in a different way.

- Genetic engineering 

Energy
- Solar cells and related research
-- Proposals of "open source" transhumanist-member projects to launch 
solar arrays into orbit to harvest energy (potential development into 
an energy "economy" for ourselves).
Holy grail: artificial photosynthesis (recent simulations/optimizations)
Matter/energy recycling and upcycling

Nucleosynthesis
Importance of being able to transmute hydrogen into elements required 
for our biochemical existence. Note the absurdly large amount of free 
hydrogen in the universe.
Nucleosynthesis-on-a-chip
Research plans- nuclear fusion (LOX at MIT ?)

AI
- Failed methods in AI
- Comp sci vision research
- Combinatorial explosion / search problem
- Failure to define "intelligence" (maybe "intelligence" is not so 
useful of a concept)
- Create AI paper (p)reprint archive (ex: http://arxiv.org/)
Cortical simulator
Neuronal modeling (ANNs)

Our inability to answer the question "what is intelligence" suggests 
that completely giving up on 'intelligence' might be the right path. 
Whatever it is that we are trying to do with our computers, it is 
something other. Insert Goertzel's additions here. 

Information
Humanity is limited by information production/consumption rates in 
our "internet information ecology". Calculations show that in five 
generations we will have "hidden" parts of the datasphere (internet 
included) that will never be read by a human. Text 
production/consumption is maxed at 40 wpm out and 300 wpm in (average; 
some are able to do 150 wpm out / 1.2k wpm in with obscure claims of 
25kwpm in). We are just coming to the point in our future history where 
we will fall into "darkness" of the totality of information - and now 
is the time to fight to keep our heads afloat. 

Just as we have the Internet Archive and many search engines, need to 
help fix the single-point-of-failure nature of the WWW, as well as 
provide for a method of content distribution and backups, esp. as we 
move closer and closer to mind uploads.

Social
WTA and the extropians
- Roadmap objectives: maintain high signal-to-noise ratio of 
engineering/science; educate transhumanist-newbies that are willing to 
become researchers (high priority).

- Highlight important researchers, what they are researching, how to 
fund them. 

silicon
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors

Include a "doomsday ASAP help" file-- i.e., who to contact in case of 
experimental emergency involving transhumanist tech.
a.k.a. "Help! I'm the guy that's caused grey goo! Now what?"

From #SL4:
- Suggestion of a central coordination agency for this roadmap
- Long term projects, feasability studies, 
- Measurable goals, establish philanthropic funding for the pursuit of 
transhumanist technology

Truly parallel computer architectures (not the "multicore" stuff)