Slaves to Neurons

About the Book

Pete McRae, a robotics software programmer with a background in genetic engineering and neuroscience believes machines, in the very near future, will not only have the ability to think but will also have emotions. He is so obsessed with this belief that at times he cannot distinguish between biological life forms and machines. This strong belief and developments in the fields of robotics, neuroscience and nanotechnology lead him to develop a robot with an electronic brain that has the capabilities of a human brain. Could this mechanical brain think and feel like a human brain? The results of his experiment are not only shocking but they also bring back painful memories of his past. What does he learn about love and other emotions that go with it? Does he prove machines can have emotions and, dare we say, consciousness? What does his finding mean to the future of machines? Or for that matter, the future of biological life forms as we know them today?

About the Author

Dr. Kaliannan Raju pursued a career in Cancer research before moving to the Information Technology world. He has a PhD from University of Toronto, Canada and is currently working in Michigan. He is very interested in the origin and evolution of life on earth. He believes a complete understanding of the nature and meaning of consciousness is the major challenge facing humanity today. This science fiction is his first attempt to venture into the mysterious world of the human brain and speculate on the activities inside this complex and amazingly wonderful organ. What is consciousness? Why do we do what we do? Can science find the answers to these very old questions? Dr. Raju tries to address these questions in this simple story that deals with one of the many things that make us who we are – ‘our emotions’.
Please, contact him at kaliauthor@gmail.com