Harry Potter and

Chip Implants
By Danielle Robinson
Wands and chips can work as agents of destruction or peace depending on who is controlling them.
The people in Harry`s world have to control their powers by using wands in their magical world.
Medical professionals and scientists have to be respectful of peoples privacy and have high
standards of professionalism.
Elon Musk has a hand in a company known as Neuralink that is currently researching and testing how
human chip implants can enhance cognitive performance by acting as a brain interference that could
restore sensory or motor function. This is especially true with people with Alzheimer’s or some form
cognitive delay or diagnosis.
Alongside chips researchers are studying both transcranial direct current stimulation which releases
electricity into the scalp to help memory and learning. The
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking into a less invasive procedure by
sending electrical pulses to specific nerves such as the vagus nerve that in the neck and connects to the
brain and spinal cord. These methods are being looked into to treat people with epilepsy, depression,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Alzheimer’s as well.
Several articles have marked this kind of technology as a sign of the times or linked it to permanent
chipping. The chip represents a magical form of power that must be controlled and used with the best of
intentions, because today and in Harry`s world power is a scary thing in the wrong hands. Harry is faced
with faced with Voldemort`s ultimate power and reign that people are worried about in terms of chips and
technological advancements.
Electric current is already being used in many forms such as hearing aids, pace makers, treating
tremors and simple electrical signals. Electric current or brain connections between Voldemort and
Harry was the first step just like the chip in making connections with magic and chips in healing. No
one thought hearing aids were possible and no one in the magical world thought it was possible for
Voldemort to return.
 References
Baggaley, K. (2017, May 10). These Brain-Boosting Devices Could Give Us Intelligence Superpowers. Retrieved November 21, 2019, from

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/technology/these-brain-boosting-devices-could-give-us-intelligence-superpowers-n755006.

Brown, K. V. (2017, March 6). DARPA's Brain Chip Implants Could Be the Next Big Mental Health Breakthrough-Or a Total Disaster.

Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://gizmodo.com/darpa-s-brain-chips-could-be-the-next-big-mental-health-1791549701.

Dance, A. (2017). Scientists Want to Use Brain Implants to Tune the Mind. Retrieved November 25, 2019, from

https://www.kavlifoundation.org/science-spotlights/scientists-want-use-brain-implants-tune-mind#.XeHZFOhKhPY.

Fritschle, M. J. (2019, August 22). Will Neuralink's Brain Chip Be the Next Big Thing in Healthcare? Retrieved November 17, 2019, from

https://www.aumcore.com/blog/2019/08/22/will-neuralinks-brain-chip-be-the-next-big-thing-in-healthcare/.

Powell, C. S. (2018, April 27). Memory-boosting brain implants are in the works. Would you get one? Retrieved November 19, 2019, from

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/memory-boosting-brain-implants-are-works-would-you-get-one-ncna868476.