In Seoul, Kalam plays the teacher

When will computers exceed the brain’s capability? Can computers help overcome the disabilities of mentally challenged children? How ma...

When will computers exceed the brain’s capability? Can computers help overcome the disabilities of mentally challenged children? How many years does the Sun take to orbit the Milky Way? These were some of the posers put to President A P J Abdul Kalam during his interaction today with the students of Yonsei University.

On a visit to three East Asian countries, his special interaction with high school and university students is a big draw. Answering questions on computers, Kalam told the students of Yonsei, South Korea’s oldest university, ‘‘It is predicted that by 2019, the computational ability of an ordinary PC will exceed that of the brain,. But computers can never match the mind’s creativity.”

The scientific community will have greater responsibility to keep mankind ahead of computers, creativity being prime mover,” he added.

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On experiments to help the mentally challenged overcome their problems, he said that it was expected that functions of a damaged portion of the brain, say the left hemisphere, could be transformed to that of the normal one, right hemisphere, by a triggering mechanism or by implanting a bio-chip.

Kalam’s suggestion for a Virtual University Grid which would enable students to attend lectures at linked universities was much praised.

Later, Kalam told trade and industry captains that India and South Korea should combine their knowledge of software and hardware for mutual benefit. “It has been predicted that both the nations will be among the top ten global economies within the next 20 years,” he added.

C P Radharishnan is currently serving as the Governor of Maharashtra.

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