Mind uploading is the term used for the theoretical transfer of a human mind to an external carrier. Mind uploading can also denote whole brain emulation, electronic transcendence, mind transfer, etc.

Mind uploading does not refer to the transfer of the actual physical brain but rather the transfer of its consciousness to a robotic brain which will generate responses that cannot be distinguished from the actual original brain. In cases where the subjects' consciousness is transferred to a memory device, the result is an artificial intelligence. In cases where the consciousness is transferred to a memory device lodged in an artificial body, the result is a "thinking" robot.

The challenge facing theorists of mind uploading is developing a device capable of performing complex computations and of storing an organic mind's memory and knowledge. As of today, there is also no established explanation of how the mind works.

Mind Uploading Models

The Swiss Federal Institute aims to simulate human brain activity. This research is called the Blue Brain Project. It will employ IBM's 'Blue Gene' supercomputer design to determine the electric map of the human brain so that human cognition and mental disorders or disabilities can be studied. The research will work on small, less complicated sections of the brain and progress to the more complicated sections until the whole brain is mapped out.Mind Uploading

Of course, to actually simulate a human brain, scientists would need far more powerful computers than are available today. However, researchers remain optimistic that emerging technologies will make this possible within a few decades. Some of these emerging technologies for computers are quantum computers, DNA computers, carbon nanotube-based three-dimensional computers, and optical neural network based computers.

Serial Sectioning has also been proposed as one of the means of mind uploading. In serial sectioning, the brain will be frozen and studied section by section using a laser or a diamond knife. The sections of the brain can then be studied using a transmission electron microscope. It can also be reconstructed in an artificial brain.

The artificial brain would, however, also require higher computing power as well as storage capability than what is available today. Moreover, simply studying the brain slice by slice would fail to shed light on how it actually works or functions. The brain uses molecular events in its function and, unfortunately, an electron microscope cannot detect them. Due to this, the interaction between brain molecules, particularly at the synapse level, and similar microscopic events couldn't be studied.

Nanotechnology could also prove successful in mapping out the brain. The brain will be infused with nanoparticles which will map out the brain's physical structure and record chemical interactions. Nanobots could also replace damaged brain cells with artificial ones, making way for a step by step or gradual transition to an artificial brain.

This method is similar to another proposal termed cyborging which will also map the brain and its functions and replace each component with an artificial one. This is done systematically until the entire brain has been replaced by artificial components.