Controlling a computer with your mind is probably one of the next great leaps forward for humanity. Imagine having a pair of glasses that house a miniature computer that learns to translate your brainwaves into commands on a computer screen visible through those glasses.
Sergey Brin wears Google Glass
You might be able to write paragraphs of text as quickly as you think them. Imagine a complete catalog of the running commentary in your mind. You might be able to access programs and give commands without having to see fully open windows on your screen. Imagine disarming the security system on your house to let your kids get in, while giving the command to pre heat the oven, turn up the AC, and turn on the sprinkler with a few thoughts. Imagine running a factory or city-wide utility system. What if it were possible to build something as complex as an aircraft carrier using robotic factories patched in to the minds of a few engineers. Rather than “overseeing” every single task, the engineers might give certain pre determined commands and only have to be aware of a limited amount of items at a time.
The technology to scan your brain and control objects in the real world is maturing rapidly. There are toys that allow you to control flying vehicles with your thoughts.
Controlling a Drone with Your Mind
Using the mind to control a mouse on the computer screen is also possible. The technology will become increasingly sensitive to the electrical signals in the brain. Computer learning will make it possible to more accurately interpret the patterns of those signals. In turn, humans will get better at interacting with the devices. The result will be an eventual synergy between computer and human that is far more efficient than it is today.
It’s entirely possible a company like Apple could pioneer this type of interface/operating system. Their recent venture into wearables that give bio feedback could be an indicator of things to come. Though Apple has seemed to drop the “i” from their recent products, I think the “iMind” would be a great name for the OS.
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I want to be the first to try this. It looks amazing!!
This is exactly why I am so obsessed with the technology field. This is too cool. I already have speech recognition on my laptop. It supposedly types out the words you speak into your microphone. But it does not even work that well. If this technology can sense what your mind is thinking and and use thoughts to control your computer than that would be really spectacular.
Wow! Technology is evolving and sometimes i doubt if i can ever keep up with its pace. I too have voice recognition on my handset. I still have troubles using it. Before i even learn how to fully use it, here comes another invention. So should i learn the old method first before i can move to this modern one or should i just forget the old method and keep up with this latest technology?
Scary stuff. If tech goes this way I am going to unplug. I like my laptop just the way it is. I’d like that psychic helicopter instead.
no way. will never happen
A show on the Science Channel will be featuring the helicopter.
and why is that? there was also a time when they said no way, no man could fly. but here we are, we made airplanes and other things to fly and this giving commands and controlling computers with your mind will bring so much convenient to humans, will help us do tasks x times faster, we do need this. and where the need is, something will come to fulfill it..
Why? We, people, like convenient things. Being able to access some data by just thinking is literally the definition of convenience. No sure if you’re aware, but it’s something we’re already used to… but our “database” as for now is limited to what’s inside of our head.
It’s the most natural and comfortable interface imaginable.
Did you get Google Glass yet? I am anxious to try. So expensive. I see your point. Google is already tapping in to our minds indirectly. Why not go all the way.
I have a helicopter like that. It is VERY fun. It takes a while to get the hang of it. You are right. It will only get better.
I disagree. People will not trust companies to probe their minds. I don’t trust them with my personal docs. Not gonna trust them with my mind.
The future is now
As awesome as this may sound, I think it’s actually quite terrifying to think about this. The gadgets being made are almost unnecessary. They seem over the top! I don’t know if the world these sort of advancements unless their curing cancer or enabling disabled people to do more.
This is definitely a scary gadget. I think it crosses boundaries that no one should cross. I’d rather go back to no electricity and no technology than to allow a gadget to tap into my brain in this way. I struggle enough with keeping people out of my business without giving them a direct line to my thoughts.
This is on the level or approaching the level of Virtual Reality. If this stuff actually works, I shiver at the possibilities in the near future. I think it will be heavily regulated, or at least it should be. This much power and capability can go so wrong in the most horrible of ways. My only question is to what extent can this technology go? If it can read thoughts, will it eventually be able to input thoughts? That’s where VR comes in, the projection of images and sounds into the mind to experience a new reality. I shiver both out of anticipation and nervousness.
Again, the sheer number of ways such a technology could be misused just puts it more on the scary side for me than something I would marvel at. No doubt, typing or creating any form of piece at the speed of thought does seem incredibly appealing, but I feel like instances where this would be abused would be rampant if it was ever put into play on a large scale. Blame my affinity for science fiction for that, I guess!
Still, interesting stuff.
This seems potentially dangerous as our thoughts are private; just because I’m supposed to be writing an essay on my computer doesn’t mean I’m thinking about the essay. I will go even far enough to suggest that this could be used as an avenue of mind control if it is perfected enough. However, if it turns out anything like the pictures provided, then that’d be a crazy contraption to put on one’s head. 😀
I find this concept to be absolutely mind blowing. I believe that this is definitely possible, but it will take a lot of time. Also, it’s very probable that the majority of people which will be around at the time of this technology will need proper training in order to correctly use this technology. After all, only a few thoughts and you could end up posting something really wrong on the Internet.
I bet that after the first generation will become avid users of this technology, future generations will be born already knowing how to use it – we will adapt.
Many people might be wary of such technologies, but I encourage any innovation. Keep them coming, it looks interesting!
I would rather not have something connecting with my brain. Call me paranoid, but the only thing inside my head should be the voices I already have, rather than a chip that can let me access the internet. Also the possibility of people creating viruses to attack someone through their devices is also very worrying as well.
With all this advanced technology, there is bound to be some sort of hacker exploiting these services. I fear that there may be harmful effects if devices are wired to our heads. If you can control an object with your mind, is it possible for technology to control your mind? Maybe I have just been watching too much science fiction and getting engrossed in the impossible.
I can think of more than one way this can be abused. I wouldn’t let anyone into my mind. This is similar to the dream index thing. Sure, it’ll be awesome… But can you trust huge internationals with your mind? I think not.
I think that products like this would only be influenced by thought waves, not monitor them unless it’s designed to. In the same way that an iPhone is influenced by your fingers, but it doesn’t monitor them, right?
That would be something that would be great if they made it. I mean think about how easy your life would be if something like this was made. Like it said in the article you can disarm your house to let your kids in, preheat the oven, and turn the AC on. I think that it’s the little things like that that will help us as humans. We are all so busy that it’s stuff like that that makes life very hard. I mean I’m sure that there are so many other things this would be able to do that would make life better. I can only imagine the possibilities.
This sounds like something out science fiction, but there are technologies out there that can read our minds right now.
I can’t wait until these become accessible to consumers!
This looks like some great technology, which could make people’s lives a lot easier. It could also be a great help to those who are blind, physically challenged or autistic. However. such technology does mean that we have to control are minds more, and we can’t think freely while using such equipment. For example, if you’re typing something, you can’t just think different things at the same time without them being processed by the technology too. It is also a slight intrusion of one’s privacy, as the computer is literally reading our minds.
This is amazing. Imagine all the ways this could be applied to all fields – the military, fast-food restaurants, nail salons… the possibilities are endless. Technology like this is interesting to me primarily because of the widespread implications. This isn’t something that would affect one industry, or one specific group of people – no, it would affect the entire world were it to become mainstream.
I can definitely see this technology being used for physically and mentally handicapped people. The deaf could hear, the mute could talk electronically and maybe in the near future we will all be able to understand each other regardless of language or accent. I can also see this technology being used to understand the language of animals. When inputted in their brains and the signals sent to a computer we can find out what they’re talking about. This idea of control also transcends to the idea of technological telepathy and the science surrounding it still unexplored.
This would be fantastic technology for the disabled and also the lazy, like me. But there are always concerns with new stuff like this. For example, how would one direct their thoughts to the correct device? I don’t want to turn on my blender when I’m just trying to open Firefox. And how would we distinguish between “private” thoughts and those we’re directing at our devices?
This definitely seems like the direction that technology is progressing nowadays. Personally, I can’t wait for it.
I’m curious. How much training would someone have to undergo to be able to do something like this? I’ve been to science museums before where you could put on a headset and use your mind to control a ball on a table. It was surreal, but it wasn’t easy, either. My friend wasn’t able to move the ball, no matter how hard he tried. I wonder if technology will advance so that this kind of usage becomes second nature, or if it will be something that some people have to learn how to use.
I still have to raise some questions regarding this invention. What if i think of negative matters? what if i’m forgetful? All these questions make me want to own the gadget so that i can answer them myself.
I’ve thought of that too. Do we have enough capacity to direct our thoughts into this interface. What about if we get lost in our thoughts and we mess up the way it operates?
Man, I thought the exact same thing! Imagine if those devices would track every single thought and actually make it happen, that would be something that I wouldn’t like to watch! And imagine if those devices are on while we are asleep, on this specific case dreams would become a reality, and not a really pleasant one.
I think that this is a big obstacle when it comes to companies trying to take such a huge step on the technology. They need to be really smart.
This looks incredible! This is like a Jetsons/Star Trek-esque technology that I would end up dreaming about as a child. It’ll be cool to see how far we could actually take an invention like this. Maybe even one day ending up not even needing to drive our cars, but just will ourselves to our destination. Nice article.
Imagine this concept double with the recent boom of virtual reality. The possibilities would be endless. People could simulate flying a plane with their mind.
This is certainly scary amazing. One of those things that you want to try but you’re afraid to. It can read through your thoughts and you never really know if it records it for someone. Yeah, technology and media has made me very paranoid lol. But you really cannot remove the idea that gadgets like this can be used for negative things by bad people. It is a great leap in science and technology, I agree. But it is also a terrifying leap when used incorrectly.
Fortunately it will still take a long time for us to get to that point. When ever a new technology arrives on the scene we sometimes look to far into the future. By the time it is possible to read each others minds we should have grown with that technology and will know how to deal with it.
If a device like that had to enter the market right now, it either would have very sever laws on it’s usage and where you could use it or our society as we know it will collapse.
Meanwhile the government is tapping into the app and controlling people’s minds..
Well, this is no question a fascinating concept. I read a lot about google glasses a while back, but this is not exactly the same thing, as it’s supposed to read directly from our mind. I’d love to see one of these working…
I think that mind sounds amazing, and they would probably make it happen, so let’s see how that turns out.
I recently watched a video about a competition of the toys that you mentioned, and it seems like you need to be really concentrated for moving those objects, so that’s why it was a competition, it looked extremely surreal, though.
I wonder if this company will take on account of the people who ramble a lot while they are thinking, it would be interesting to see if they are going to select only certain thoughts.
Well this is just fun to think about. I would say that this is something that I would have thought was really not possible, but thinking about all of the things that I have said that about, I am not going to write these things off anymore. These people are really amazing at coming up with ideas and new technologies, so I have to believe that with the right resources, and with time, they can make these things a reality and more commercial. I cannot wait to see what we have in store for us, and thank you for sharing.