Mind Reading

[rwp]

Imagine sensors on our brains connected to a television showing our visual and auditory thoughts.

Is anyone aware of any studies that could eventually lead to this kind of project?

For example, the monkey/robot study referenced below has elements of the idea. They intend to use this research to help disabled people.

Researchers at Duke University have taught rhesus monkeys to consciously control the movement of a robot arm in real time, using only signals from their brains and visual feedback on a video screen. The scientists said that the animals appeared to operate the robot arm as if it were their own limb. Full Story

 

[rwp]

Wow - no comments. I thought someone would be interested in this.

In the monkey research, the monkeys first used joysticks to control the robotic arm. Their brain waves were analyzed by a computer as they used the joystick. Later, the joystick was disconnected but the monkeys continued to use the joystick, moving the robotic arm with their brain signals. Eventually, the monkeys dropped the joystick and were able to do the same tasks with their brain alone.

I wonder if similar experiments could be done by anaylizing brain waves during other processes and then working out what the signals indicate.

 

[MWare]

Imagine sensors on our brains connected to a television showing our visual and auditory thoughts.

While I fully agree this is astounding and wonderful technology, I feel that my responding to your post would only encourage others equally or perhaps more depraved than I to comment on what might actually appear on a television hooked up to my brain.

 

[rwp]

I agree - it would be very personal. I probably wouldn't want others to see what's on my mind.

I also wonder if there would be a way to analyze someone's brain after their death. Imagine if we could solve crimes and mysteries using analysis of their brain's connections.

Any neurologists in the house?

 

[bonavada]

I agree - it would be very personal. I probably wouldn't want others to see what's on my mind.

I also wonder if there would be a way to analyze someone's brain after their death. Imagine if we could solve crimes and mysteries using analysis of their brain's connections.

Any neurologists in the house?

i'm not a neurologist but i would think that based on this technology (or any other i reckon) it would be very unlikely to be able "analyze someone's brain after their death". doesn't All electrical activity cease in the brain upon death?

BV
Swansea Wales UK

 

[rwp]

i'm not a neurologist but i would think that based on this technology (or any other i reckon) it would be very unlikely to be able "analyze someone's brain after their death". doesn't All electrical activity cease in the brain upon death?

BV
Swansea Wales UK

True, but rather than electrical signals if we could somehow analyze the connections that the neurons have made...

Though analyzing neuron connections would probably be extremely difficult.

If the person was still alive but in a coma, perhaps the electical analysis could be useful.

I really don't know what I am talking about but I am still interested in the idea and am looking for any experiments or findings along these lines.

 

[Dave1001]

True, but rather than electrical signals if we could somehow analyze the connections that the neurons have made...

Though analyzing neuron connections would probably be extremely difficult.

If the person was still alive but in a coma, perhaps the electical analysis could be useful.

I really don't know what I am talking about but I am still interested in the idea and am looking for any experiments or findings along these lines.

kurzweil touches on it in his essay on the law law of technological acceleration. Apparently due to miniaturization of technology he thinks we'll be able to track every neuron in a person's brain in a few decades.

 

[Cuddles]

There has been research in this area. It is unlikely to ever read people's minds properly because it works by recognising the pattern produced by the brain when it sees something. Before it can work it needs to be calibrated by measuring the response first. Since everyone's brain is different it is unlikely that any more than very basic responses could be obtained from a general model, maybe things like horizontal or vertical lines could be read, but not your memory of what you ate last Thursday.

Since thoughts are mainly electrical impulses, which cease after death, it should not be possible to read anything after death. However, there is a theory that junk DNA could actually be used as memory storage by the brain, which is why it appears useless since it does not code for anything until something is stored, and even then it will only appear in some neurons and not most cells. I'm not sure how serious this theory is though.

 

[alfaniner]

The Dasher Project

I always thought this was kind of cool. It's a way to make text entry by using just a one- or two-dimensional pointer. I'd love to be able to hook it up to some bidofeedback mechanism and do it wireless.