WEEK THIRTEEN: TECHNOLOGY RECAP

I think, at this point, it is important to recap some of the information from my previous assignment that is vital to this one.

Importantly, I want to point out the technology being used.  My initial research can be found here, however I have expanded this below.

Currently, scientists can use various technologies to read human brain waves. Neuroscientists have long believed that the brain works by translating aspects of the external world, such as spoken words, into patterns of electrical activity. But proving that this is true by showing that it is possible to translate these activity patterns back into the original sound – or at least a fair approximation – is nevertheless a great step forward. 

Emotiv Lifescience, is currently developing a new form of remote control that uses brainwaves to control digital devices and digital media Emotiv's EPOC headset uses 16 sensors to listen to activity across the entire brain. Software "learns" what each user's brain activity looks like when one, for instance, imagines a left turn or a jump. A computer interface reads its user's brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects, and even physical electronics, with mere thoughts (and a little concentration). 

Malintent is a new “security scanner” which can identify if those walking through have criminal intent- So far it can recognise seven primary emotions and emotional clues and will eventually have equipment which can analyse body movement, an eye scanner and a pheromone-reader. 

Researchers have created a device that could enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller. A mind reading program has been created which can translate thoughts into words- use for those who cannot communicate The research paves the way for brain implants that would translate the thoughts of people who have lost power of speech. The remarkable feat has given researchers fresh insight into how the brain processes language, and raises the tantalising prospect of devices that can return speech to the speechless. The next step is to test whether we can decode a word when a person imagines it. That might sound spooky, but this could really help patients.

Researchers from Japan's ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person's mind and display them on a computer monitor. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people's dreams while they sleep. "These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity," says Dr. Cheng. "In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person's thoughts with some degree of accuracy." The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design -- particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist's head. The technology might also lead to new treatments for conditions such as psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, by providing doctors a direct window into the mind of the patient. ATR chief researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani says, "This technology can also be applied to senses other than vision. In the future, it may also become possible to read feelings and complicated emotional states.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2094194
http://pinktentacle.com/2008/12/scientists-extract-images-directly-from-brain/ http://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/2012/07/1-2.htm#.UC5uw6nibz0
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1060972/The-airport-security-scanner-read-mind.html#ixzz24LLa1nzO
http://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_a_headset_that_reads_your_brainwaves.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/31/mind-reading-program-brain-words?fb=optOut