Telepathic Phone Calls Are In Our Future
March 13 2008 / by Venessa Posavec
Category: Communication Year: 2008 Rating: 11
Eavesdropping on someone’s cellphone conversation may soon become a thing of the past. Using a new product called the Audeo, the world’s first voiceless phone call was recently demonstrated at a Texas Instruments conference. Signals from the brain to the vocal chords are intercepted by a neckband, then sent wirelessly via Bluetooth to a nearby computer that speaks what you were thinking.
The technology was originally developed so that people who have lost the ability to speak because of brain injury or degenerative diseases can regain the function of communication. The system can currently recognize around 150 words and phrases, but will be upgraded for unlimited vocabulary within months. The first products will be available for people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease before the end of the year.
My first question was whether this technology might take away the luxury of being able to think before you speak. If every thought that runs through my head during a conversation was transmitted, the result would be jumbled, and might reveal thoughts that I hadn’t planned on sharing. But, according to Audeo’s developer, Michael Callahan, producing the brain signals necessary for the device to decipher will have to be intentional and require “a level above thinking”.
I can only imagine the amazing applications that such a technology will enable as brain-computer interfaces continue to improve. An author might be able to mentally “dictate” a book, and have it recorded automatically. When computers are everywhere, even sewn into the fabric of our clothes, we could think a question, search the net for it, and the answer would be spoken back to us. Or when the interface is created, we might wear a contact lens that would display the thoughts in text, and we could silently instant message our friends whenever we want. The world could become a much quieter place. Will we even need to talk aloud anymore?
To watch a demonstration of this product being used to control a motorized wheelchair, click here.
Comment Thread (1 Response)
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That’s incredible.
Posted by: Field of Memes March 13, 2008
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