Technocrat

Synthetic Telepathy

zogger
Wed Oct 15 17:03:00 -0700 2008
Science.
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Researchers are working on a grant from the US Army to develop a new form of communication, one they are calling synthetic telepathy. The technique is based on reading and manipulating brainwaves. They want soldiers to be able to communicate in total silence and to not be bothered with manipulating external devices, to be able to just think and have the communication be transmitted to other similarly equipped soldiers. The researchers see good civilian uses for such a development as well, for instance with people with motor control problems who have lost the ability to communicate in a more normal fashion.

The brain-computer interface would use a noninvasive brain imaging technology like electroencephalography to let people communicate thoughts to each other. For example, a soldier would "think" a message to be transmitted and a computer-based speech recognition system would decode the EEG signals. The decoded thoughts, in essence translated brain waves, are transmitted using a system that points in the direction of the intended target. ed.z.: Combine that with nanotube rope and some gecko glue feet and hands and you could have "synthetic spiderdude".

Synthetic Telepathy
d47xeiwP
Wed Oct 15 17:51:00 -0700 2008
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Sadly, this is just a notice of funding, not of results.

Synthetic Telepathy
Michael Smith
Wed Oct 15 18:48:51 -0700 2008
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Considering that the device could be used to inject thoughts directly into the brain I am rather glad that they don't have results.

Synthetic Telepathy
ScootrRichards
Thu Oct 16 05:01:00 -0700 2008
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Agreed.  Once the technology became available, how long before the gov't tries to obtain:

  • Warrants for 'searches' of your mind in criminal cases?
  • Warrantless 'searches'?
  • Long distance applications that work without physical contact?
  • the ability to force a person to think in some way?  This would start out as a 'therapy' tool, of course.
  • the ability to cause a person to have synthetically generated hallucinations, for whatever reason?

etc,etc.

Synthetic Telepathy
David Leppik
Thu Oct 16 10:39:23 -0700 2008
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From the article:

"Such a system would require extensive training for anyone using it to send and receive messages," D'Zmura says. "Initially, communication would be based on a limited set of words or phrases that are recognized by the system; it would involve more complex language and speech as the technology is developed further."

I'm imagining that this is something like existing "mind reading" prototypes which use EEG scans that can read which sections of the brain are active, such as telling whether or not you're visualizing spatial rotation or doing a math problem, but can't tell any more than that. Monkeys have been trained to control a video game by thinking different types of thoughts. More recent devices can, after a great deal of training (by both the device and user), tell how you're moving your arm-- very useful for controlling an artificial limb. And since they detect patterns of neural activity, rather than listening to particular neurons, they can't induce arm motion. For that we have 1940s era subdermal electrodes.

There's a wide gap between detecting (or inducing) spatial rotation thoughts and the sci-fi notion of mind reading or mind control. Especially when the equipment is somewhat bulky and requires the user/target to do extensive training. It's certainly not going to help to build a better lie detector.

Current research suggests that while certain regions of the brain are correlated with certain types of neural activity, those regions don't do just one thing. You may really need to look at specific neurons (or clusters of neurons) to tell what a person is thinking. And that requires something more detailed than an MRI scan. Plus, there reason to believe that a neural map of one brain wouldn't help to decipher another person's. The neurons I use to think of the word fish might be quite different than the ones you use-- especially if my experiences with fish are different from yours.

Synthetic Telepathy
ScootrRichards
Fri Oct 17 06:04:42 -0700 2008
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"it would involve more complex language and speech as the technology is developed further."

This is what I meant.  Advances are certain, it is only a matter of time.  I didn't see anything in TFA about the theoretical limits of this; since this technology is in its infancy, it's probable that the limits are far beyond what we currently think they are.

Having said that, yes, I agree - two brains are probably completely different, even if the minds are similar.  The tech will surely be designed to learn from the human subject even as the human learns to use it (or is its target).  Thus, a device might be designed that eventually learns which neurons fire for specific thoughts, words, or actions.

Synthetic Telepathy
phred14
Thu Oct 16 16:52:39 -0700 2008
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Read Joe Haldeman's "Forever Peace" and look at the soldier-boys.  (Then question the ethics of their use.)  For that matter, if you were paranoid about the LHC, that's touched on, too.

 

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