REAL LIFE NEWS: ONE STEP CLOSER TO READING YOUR MINDby HazedThe idea of being able to read minds by interpreting brain waves has long been a staple of science fiction. Whether it's a telepath being able to read minds directly, or a machine plugging into the brain to scan your innermost thoughts, for good or for ill fictional mind reading is commonplace. Now real life researchers have come up with a way to reconstruct words, based on the brain waves of people thinking those words. This is hardly unobtrusive, because it involves gathering electrical signals by implanting electrodes directly into a part of the participants' brains. So not practical on a casual basis! But it has implications for patients who are comatose or have locked-in syndrome, and could help them to communicate. The method is complicated so if you want to know exactly what was involved, read the article here. |