http://www.boingboing.net/2008/10/14/synthetic-telepathy.html
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Synthetic telepathy
Posted by David Pescovitz, October 14, 2008 10:30 AM | permalink
Researcher are developing technology to translate thought into messages that can be wirelessly delivered. Funded by the
US military ('natch), the aim is "synthetic telepathy," using EEG signals monitored non-invasively to communicate by
brainpower alone. Apparently, this research goes back to the 1960s when a scientist used EEG to communicate in Morse
code. Now though, the scientist are using brain scans to better understand how to detect and identify the brain signals.
From MSNBC:
The Army grant to researchers at University of California, Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of
Maryland has two objectives. The first is to compose a message using, as (UC Irvine professor Mike) D'Zmura puts it,
"that little voice in your head."
The second part is to send that message to a particular individual or object (like a radio), also just with the
power of thought. Once the message reaches the recipient, it could be read as text or as a voice mail...
Mapping the brain's response to most of the English language is a large task, and D'Zmura says that it will be
15-20 years before thought-based communication is reality.