Kevin Warwick

Kevin Warwick was born in Coventry, UK and 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 research post at Imperial College, London. He held positions at Oxford, Newcastle and Warwick universities before moving to Reading, at age 33.

As well as publishing 600 research papers, Kevin’s experiments into implant technology have led to his being featured on the cover of the US magazine, Wired.

Kevin has been awarded higher doctorates (DSc) by Imperial College and the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, and he has received six Honorary Doctorates. He has been presented with The Future of Health Technology Award (MIT), he is an Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, and he has received the Mountbatten Medal and the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine. In 2000, Kevin presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, entitled “The Rise of the Robots”.

Kevin invented an intelligent deep brain stimulator to counteract the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. Tremors are predicted and a current signal is applied to stop them before they start. Another project involves the use of biological neurons to drive robots around; the robot brains are made of neural tissue.

Kevin is best known for his pioneering experiments involving a neuro-surgical implantation into the nerves of his left arm to link his nervous system directly with a computer to assess the latest technology for use with the disabled. He was successful with the first extra-sensory (ultrasonic) input for a human and the first purely electronic telegraphic communication between the nervous systems of two humans.