The BBC reports on an experiment in which the thoughts of Eric Ramsay, who is conscious but paralyzed following a car crash eight years ago, were “read” by a computer.
Boston University researchers implanted electrodes in the part of Ramsay’s brain that controls speech, recording electrical impulses that were used to cue speech software. Says the BBC:
Although the data is still being analysed, [researchers] believe they can correctly identify the sound Mr Ramsay’s brain is imagining some 80% of the time… In the next few weeks, a computer will start the task of translating his thoughts into sounds.
In both the BBC and the New Scientist article the BBC report references, researchers are quick to point out that we’re a long way from mind reading. But since everything is of course about me, I’m just hoping Ramsay’s case eventually leads to some improvements in speech-recognition software… ’cause I swear, if Dragon Naturally Speaking hears me say “chocolate job if dog pumpkin mother frank twee twee twee twee twee Seminole howdy” one more time, I’m gonna kill someone.
Link, more info at New Scientist..
Brains via Wikipedia.
great post, Thomas. best results: read the last lines out loud. aw yeah.