Researchers at the University of Toronto have put together a new technique for coarse determination of thought processes and preferences. It involves a headband set to detect near-infrared radiation, which is apparently emitted by the brain in areas of activity — it has to do with oxygen activity and blood flow. The technique can’t be used to tell if you prefer Coke Zero over Pepsi One (I don’t), but it can be used as a rudimentary choice-making device.
Some similar-in-concept devices are being pitched as game controllers, but they’ve had little success so far. The execution is different, but the idea is the same: supercortical pattern detection.
The headband doesn’t detect what you’re thinking — nothing can do that quite right, and anyway this thing only detects activity on a large scale. Close your eyes and move your head around. Try it, we won’t laugh. Notice how you can tell where the window is, where the screen is, where it’s dark, but not exactly? That’s the kind of precision we’re talking about.
Patients are trained to think of something that lights up a certain area of their brain — a strong memory, a song sung in the head, or a particular image — and this is picked up by the sensor and the patient can decide whether that’s a “yes” or “no” answer. That’s about the limit of things, but consider that it can be used by someone with absolutely no motor control in their body, including eyes and mouth, often the last resort for getting information through. Being able to say “yes” and “no” may sound basic, and it is, but it’s the basic things we take for granted. Hopefully this relatively straightforward and inexpensive method of thought detection will see a rollout sometime soon in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
[Image credit: Yes, Alex Grey]
Whoa. Cool points for the Alex Grey painting.
I was just about to ask, did you guys gank an Alex Grey for this?
Heh. There’s no pictures of the device at the moment – I’ve had stuff like this on me and it’s not photogenic. The Neurosky is, though, which may be why it’s not working. Gray came to mind, so I googled “third eye,” and…
I just wanted to know if this type of device can tell if the brain is telling the truth or not? Since it can detect activity, or maybe there needs to be more research?
I can see a use for it, but probably not in gaming for a bit longer. When you said to close my eyes and move my head, I was hoping for a mind blowing demonstration. :-D
Now if this progresses, maybe Google and IBM can work on a WiFi like described here: http://www.awebguy.com/2009/02/google-streaming-medical-data-via-wi-fi/
One of these days perhaps none of us will have to think for ourselves … like those guys on Wall Street and in D.C.
Beep
This is one reason I wanted to do a PhD. This a pretty exciting field. Would love to see more articles like this.
I, for one, welcome our RFID overlords
You know. I really think this is the next wave of the future.
Any type of Nano-technology is the next wave (tv…internet….cell phones….then nano’s). Although it might be hard for people to grasp. I think somehow we will all embrace the idea of making everything digital and we will all have a state-of-the-art technology in our skin.
Head and/or hand, it doesn’t matter. Technology will get under our skin (pun intended).
Oh please, gimme a break! lol
… Joshua, the cyborg dude!
http://www.alexgrey.com/rights.html
Not only did you put “Alex Gray” in your credit line (even though commenters above spelled it correctly) you didn’t bother checking to see if you could actually use the image.
Joshua, I agree on nanotechnology. A couple professors in college were absolutely convinced this is going to be the wave of the future.
Whatever increasing degree of communication we can build with those who are “body dead” but “brain alive” is crucial for those who can help.
Hopefully the digital security site I use will stay updated with this new tech’s risks etc.