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Kevin Warwick (born 9 February 1954 in Coventry , UK) is professor of Cybernetics at the University Of Reading , UK . He carries out research in artificial intelligence, control, robotics and biomedical engineering. He is also Director of the Reading University Knowledge Transfer Centre, which links the University with Companies. He is probably best known for his studies on Direct Interfaces between Computer systems and the human Nervous System , although he has done much research in the field of Robotics . Warwick is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution Of Engineering And Technology . He is also presently a Visiting Professor at the Czech Technical University In Prague and in 2004 was Senior Beckman Fellow at the University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign , USA. CAREER Warwick attended Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, Warwickshire . He 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 and a research post at Imperial College, London . He subsequently held positions at Oxford , Newcastle and Warwick universities before being offered the Chair in Cybernetics at Reading University , at the age of 33. Warwick has been awarded higher doctorates (DScs) both by Imperial College and the Czech Academy Of Sciences , Prague. He was presented with The Future of Health Technology Award from MIT (USA), was made an Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, was awarded the University Of Malta medal from the Edward de Bono Institute and in 2004 received The IEE Achievement Medal. In 2000 he presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures , entitled “The Rise of The Robots”. These lectures were repeated in 2001 in a tour of Japan, China and Korea. He has delivered numerous inaugural and keynote lectures. These include The 1998 Robert Boyle Memorial Lecture at Oxford University, The 2001 Higginson Lecture at Durham University, The 2003 Royal Academy of Engineering/Royal Society of Edinburgh Joint lecture in Edinburgh, The 2003 IEEE (UK) Annual Lecture in London, The 2004 Woolmer Lecture at York University, the Robert Hooke Lecture (Westminster) and the Einstein Lecture in Potsdam, Germany in 2005. In 2006 he carried out the Bernard Price Lecture tour in South Africa and presented the IMechE Prestige Lecture in London. In 2007 he presented the Techfest plenary lecture in Mumbai and the Kshitij keynote in Kharagpur (India). In 2007 he also presented the Annual Science Faculty lecture at Leicester University . He is scheduled to present the August Kekule Cycle Lecture in Antwerp, 2008. PROJECT CYBORG Probably the most famous piece of research undertaken by Warwick (and the origin of the nickname, "Captain Cyborg", given to him by The Register ) is the set of experiments known as ''Project Cyborg'', in which he had a chip implanted into his arm, with the aim of "becoming a Cyborg ". The first stage of this research, which began on 1998-08-24 , involved a simple RFID transmitter being implanted beneath Warwick's skin, and used to control doors, lights, heaters, and other computer-controlled devices based on his proximity. The main purpose of this experiment was said to be to test the limits of what the body would accept, and how easy it would be to receive a meaningful signal from the chip.Wired Magazine 8.02 (Feb 2000), 'Cyborg 1.0: Interview with Kevin Warwick', http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.02/warwick.html (accessed 25-12-2006) The second stage involved a far more complex chip which was implanted on 2002-03-14 , and which interfaced directly into Warwick's nervous system. The Electrode Array inserted contained around 100 Electrode s, of which 25 could be accessed at any one time, whereas the Median Nerve which it monitored carries many times that number of signals. The experiment proved successful, and the signal produced was detailed enough that a Robot Arm developed by Warwick's colleague, Dr Peter Kyberd , was able to mimic the actions of Warwick's own armWarwick,K, Gasson,M, Hutt,B, Goodhew,I, Kyberd,P, Andrews,B, Teddy,P and Shad,A:“The Application of Implant Technology for Cybernetic Systems”, ''Archives of Neurology'', 60(10), pp1369-1373, 2003 By means of the implant, Warwick's nervous system was connected onto the internet in Columbia University , New York. From there he was able to control the Robot Arm in Reading University and to obtain feedback from sensors in the finger tips. He also successfully connected ultrasonic sensors on a baseball cap and experienced a form of extra sensory input. A highly publicised extension to the experiment, in which a simpler array was implanted into Warwick's wife—with the aim of creating a form of (SHAP). It was feared that directly interfacing with the Nervous System might cause some form of damage or interference, but no measurable effect was found. Implications and criticisms Warwick and his colleagues claim that the ''Project Cyborg'' research could lead to new medical tools for treating patients with damage to the Nervous System , as well opening the way for the more ambitious enhancements Warwick advocates. Some Transhumanists even speculate that similar technologies could be used for technology-facilitated telepathy, or " Techlepathy ."1 Warwick himself asserts that his controversial work is important because it directly tests the boundaries of what is known about the human ability to integrate with computerised systems. A controversy arose in August 2002 , shortly after the Soham Murders , when Warwick reportedly offered to implant a Tracking Device into an 11-year-old girl as an anti-abduction measure. The plan produced a mixed reaction, with support from many worried parents but ethical concerns from a number of children's societies. As a result, the idea did not go ahead. Anti-theft RFID chips are common in jewelry or clothing in some Latin American countries due to a high abduction rate,2 and the company Verichip announced plans in 2001 to expand its line of currently available medical information implants,3, to be GPS trackable when combined with a separate GPS device.45 6 7 PERSONAL OPINIONS Warwick is known for taking opportunities to publicise his work, and often appears on radio and TV interviews. He also has very outspoken views on the future, particularly with respect to view that machines will eventually become at least as intelligent as human beings, and argues that we will need to use technology to enhance ourselves in order to avoid being overtaken. He also points out that there are many limits, such as our Sensorimotor abilities, that we can overcome with machines, and is on record as saying that he wants to gain these abilities: ''"There is no way I want to stay a mere human."''Kevin Warwick, ''FAQ'', http://www.kevinwarwick.com/faq.htm (last question) His tendency to court the media has led some of Warwick's critics to accuse him of concentrating on publicity at the cost of research, grossly exaggerating the importance and implications of his "experiments." For example, the Society For The Study Of Artificial Intelligence And The Simulation Of Behaviour complained to the organisers of the 2000 Christmas Lectures about their choice of Kevin Warwick, prior to his appearance. They called him a "masterful self-publicist on fashionable but flimsy 'science'" and claimed that "he is not a spokesman for our subject and allowing him influence through the Christmas lectures is a danger to the public perception of science."http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~sgc/html_papers/colton_thes00.html
His supporters assert that the publicity he deliberately courts around his research is also important as it generates interest in his work and helps to show the public, as well as skeptical academics. It is also claimed to be valuable outreach for the field of Cybernetics as a whole. PRESENT RESEARCH As well as his implant studies Warwick presently heads an EPSRC supported research project which investigates the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques in order to suitably stimulate and translate patterns of electrical activity from living cultured neural networks in order to utilise the networks for the control of mobile robots. Hence a biological brain actually provides the behaviour process for each robot. It is expected that the method will be extended to the control of a robot head. Along with Tipu Aziz and his team at John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford, Warwick is helping to design the next generation of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2079637.ece. Instead of stimulating the brain all the time, the aim is for the device to predict when stimulation is needed and to apply the signals prior to any tremors occurring to stop them before they even start. Warwick also heads the Reading University team in a number of European Community projects such as FIDIS looking at issues concerned with the future of identity and ETHICBOTS which is considering the ethical aspects of robots and cyborgs. OTHER ACTIVITIES As well as the ''Project Cyborg'' work, Warwick has been involved in several of the major robotics developments within the Cybernetics Department at Reading. These include the "seven dwarves", a version of which was given away in kit form as Cybot on the cover of Real Robots Magazine . He is a self confessed Indophile and has been to . He also presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2000 on the theme of robots, using examples from research at Reading and at other British universities. Warwick's claims that robots that can program themselves to avoid each other while operating in a group raise the issue of Self-organisation , and as such might be the major impetus in following developments in this area. In particular, the works of Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana , once in the province of pure speculation now have become immediately relevant with respect to synthetic intelligence. Cyborg-type systems not only are homeostatic (meaning that they are abe to preserve stable internal conditions in various environments) but adaptive, if they are to survive. Testing the claims of Varela and Maturana via synthetic devices is the larger and more serious concern in the discussion about Warwick and those involved in similar research. "Pulling the plug" on independent devices cannot be as simple as it appears, for if the device displays sufficient intelligence and assumes a diagnostic and prognostic stature, we may ultimately one day be forced to decide between what it could be telling us as counterintuitive (but correct) and our impulse to disconnect because of our limited and "intuitive" perceptions. Warwick's robots seemed to have exhibited behavior not anticipated by the research, one such robot "committing suicide" because it could not cope with its environment. In a more complex setting, it may be asked whether a "natural selection" may be possible, neural networks being the major operative. PUBLIC AWARENESS Warwick has headed a number of projects aimed at exciting schoolchildren about the technology with which he is involved. In 2000 he received the EPSRC Millenium Award for a Schools Robot League. Meanwhile in 2007, 16 school teams were involved in designing a humanoid robot to dance and then complete an assault course - a final competition being held at the Science Museum, London . The project, entitled 'Androids Advance' was supported by EPSRC . He also lectures widely to general audiences. REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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