Event Abstract

Clinical Brain-Machine-Interfaces: Ethical Legal and Social Implications

  • 1 University of Tübingen, Department of Medical Ethics, Germany

Clinical applications of brain-machine interfaces promise unprecedented benefits for several patients severely suffering from different impairments including paralysis, locked-in syndrome and stroke. While potential benefits for patients is a strong argument a favor of these devices research and development of brain-computer interfaces as well as their application come with a variety of ethical legal and social implications. This paper will discuss questions of responsibility and liability in case of BMI-directed external effectors, implications on autonomy and self-determination in the context of BCI-mediated communication with severely paralyzed patients and those with impaired consciousness. Finally, this paper deals with the question weather these devices pose conceptual threats to our common understanding of a human being. Does brain-machine interfacing produce cyborgs or is this kind of technology just another step in human development and the evolution of tool use?

Conference: 2015 International Workshop on Clinical Brain-Machine Interfaces (CBMI2015), Tokyo, Japan, 13 Mar - 15 Mar, 2015.

Presentation Type: Oral presentation / lecture

Topic: Clinical Brain-Machine Interfaces

Citation: Clausen J (2015). Clinical Brain-Machine-Interfaces: Ethical Legal and Social Implications. Conference Abstract: 2015 International Workshop on Clinical Brain-Machine Interfaces (CBMI2015). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.218.00002

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Received: 23 Apr 2015; Published Online: 29 Apr 2015.

* Correspondence: Dr. Jens Clausen, University of Tübingen, Department of Medical Ethics, Tübingen, Ba-Wü, 72076, Germany, jens.clausen@uni-tuebingen.de