After chatting with Tricia about her segment yesterday about the stroke victim controling the robot arm with her brain, I engaged in a bit of "undirected work-related research" and watched this 2010 TED Talk by Tan Le, the co-founder and president of Emotiv Lifescience, about her company's commercially available mind reader.
That headset and its tricks are totally available to the general public. It's not the same as plugging a sensor into your skull, but for $300 you're in the game. They sell apps and developer materials as well.
Given the strides (and resultant opportunities) being made in translating thoughts and mental images, it's not hard to imagine brain controler lessons replacing, say, penmanship lessons in elementary schools (or earlier!) at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Tangentially, if you don't mind, I was interested in what Le mentioned about the challenge of cortical folding, and their success at developing an algorythm that unfolds the cortext to better trace the brain signals. I remember reading not too long ago about researchers working with the mathematics of crumpled balls of paper.
At the time I thought, wow, there's a purely academic pursuit if ever there was one. And now here I am eating my words as uncrumpling a crumpled thing is the key to amazing and amazingly practical new technology.
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I saw that video when it first aired and it is unreal. These types of advances are leading to unheard understanding of human consciousness.
It is almost frightening in some ways. Once we know how to read thoughts, how long until someone figures how to manipulate them directly? There have already been experiments in which magnetic fields were used to affect the moral thought process. That's right, a set of magnets placed correctly on your head can affect your ideas of right and wrong.
we're a lot closer to it than you think.
Cool.
This would put Wii to shame.
Look ma!! No Hands.
Thanks Will.
I see pissed off tea party members claiming the thing won't work(blank mind yields blank screen). I see the religious right calling this a tool of the devil as they follow their false prophets.
I hear FOX claiming this is a plot by the Obama administration to use mind control in order to turn us into zombies-the clamor quickly subsides when the company makes a hefty donation to the RNC.
-and how much GOVERNMENT money is involved?
Besides, if God had meant Man to fly, he would have given us wings. Or sumpin'. . .
(for the few who don't understand snark, this is snark.)
As usual, I am of two minds on this.
Practical mind: How much does this damn thing cost and who's paying for it?
Reasonable mind: Sounds like a better way to spend our hard earned dollars than on Afghanistan.
Has any research been done with this device to see if can help the severely autistic communicate more effectively?
Mathematics and science are the two greatest frontiers since the beginning of time! The problems that can be solved, are only limited by the size of the data base to formulate the equation and the speed to which these calculations can be done. Immunity is one of these problems that it is finally being understood by equations, calculations, and a vast data base. The CDC, NIH, AMA, WHO, Big Pharma, etc. are really, really nervous. Cures for diseases that are inexpensive and quick.........PRICELESS!