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Neural implants: history, ethics, and a future reaching millions.
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Machines in Our Minds

The Past, Present, and Future of Neural Implants

RRP$115.00

$114.16

  • Paperback

    296 pages

  • Release Date

    15 December 2026

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Summary

Machines in Our Minds offers a visual and engaging overview of neural implants, exploring their history, current status, and the ethical considerations, technical challenges, and potential future pathways for bringing advanced solutions to patients.

Ian Halpern, a principal investigator who cofounded a neural implant company and served on the inaugural US presidential BRAIN Initiative review panel, provides a comprehensive look at these devices, from their origins to …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780262056090
ISBN-10:0262056097
Author:Ian Halpern
Publisher:MIT Press Ltd
Imprint:MIT Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:296
Release Date:15 December 2026
Weight:369g
Dimensions:178mm x 229mm
A-Format
B-Format
Machines in Our Minds by Ian Halpern - ISBN: 9780262056090
178 × 229 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

ENDORSEMENTS

“Ian Halpern’s Machines in Our Minds masterfully examines the past, present, and future of neurotechnology through multiple lenses. Timely amid unprecedented investment in brain–computer interfaces, this insightful work by an accomplished scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur is essential reading.”
—Douglas Weber, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University

“Machines in Our Minds is a comprehensive guide—accessible to general readers, valuable for newcomers, and a resource for experts—that provides a thorough grounding in the history, current state, and future of the surging field of neural interfaces.”
—John Donoghue, Henry Merritt Wriston Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, Brown University

“A wonderful, detailed tour of neural implants: their surprising history, the science we still don’t understand, and what’s genuinely coming next.”
—David Eagleman, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University; author of Livewired and Incognito

“Ian Halpern has created the ultimate primer to set the stage for creators of the future of neuromodulation, beginners and experts alike. A comprehensive and essential read.”
—Josh Makower, The Yock Family Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering and The Byers Family Director and Cofounder, Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, Stanford University

“A rare book: rigorous enough for veterans, welcoming enough for newcomers, and clear enough for outsiders. Halpern captures this young field’s history while illuminating exactly where neural technology’s promise is heading.”
—JoJo Platt, Senior Contributing Editor, NeuroTech Reports

“A comprehensive account of neural implants, candid about the promise for patients and unsparing about the risks. Essential reading before these devices become widespread.”
—Nita Farahany, author of The Battle for Your Brain

About The Author

Ian Halpern

Ian Halpern served as principal investigator of neural implant technology funded by DARPA and NIH, leading its successful commercialization, including human use. He is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Engineering at Brown University and a lecturer at the Stanford School of Engineering. Halpern is the recipient of an international Good Design award, has cofounded and served as CEO of two biomedical device companies, and is the lead or sole inventor of more than a dozen US patents.

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