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A comment on The ethics of brain boosting. Parent comment

Re:The ethics of brain boosting by learc83 on Sunday January 29, 2012 @04:28PM (#3526319)
From an engineering perspective, the device is simple enough that it should be universally available in the US, and probably the world.

People have built DIY models for under $50. With full scale production you could build a basic model for a few dollars.

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Re:The ethics of brain boosting by derleth on Sunday January 29, 2012 @04:43PM (#3526372)
> With full scale production you could build a basic model for a few dollars.

Plus the cost of patent licenses, of course.

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Re:The ethics of brain boosting by learc83 on Sunday January 29, 2012 @04:55PM (#3526399)
From what I've read I don't believe there are any patents covering the basic concepts. Additionally patents expire after 20 years, and there is definitely prior art covering the basic device going back at least to the 60s.

There may be patents covering some specific implementations, but I believe one could design a patent free device fairly easily.

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Re:The ethics of brain boosting by politician on Sunday January 29, 2012 @07:50PM (#3526927)
Actually, the real cost would be getting the necessary FDA certifications and/or funding the lawyers that defend your right not to need a cert.
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