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Scientists Build Mind-Reading Computer

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the strangely-all-the-male-results-looked-like-the-word-sex dept.

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed what they are calling a "mind reading computer." Using a panel of nine volunteers, the team built a "profile" of 58 test words based on brain scans taken while the volunteers were directed to think about the meaning of each test word. "'If I show you the brain images for two words, the main thing you notice is that they look pretty much alike. If you look at them for a while you might see subtle differences,' explains Tom Mitchell of the Machine Learning Department, which lead the study. 'We believe we have identified a number of the basic building blocks that the brain uses to represent meaning. These building blocks could be used to predict patterns for any concrete noun,' added Mitchell."

3 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Mind Reading Computer?! by prakslash · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Yet again we see a jounalist dumbing down scientific research into tabloid fodder.


    What the CMU scientists have done is some preliminary brain imaging using MRI.

    Here is a better CMU link with more details and pictures. The scientists hope that this research to could have applications in the study of autism, disorders of thought such as paranoid schizophrenia, and semantic dementias such as Pick's disease. Not once did they ominously dub their research as "mind reading" as claimed by the submitter.

  2. Re:As dangerous as it is useful by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sure!

    Here, would you please lie down while I slide you into this multi-tonne magnet. Thank you. Now, please lie very still and think about typing in your password, very slowly, one letter at a time. No more than one letter every ten seconds or so! Now please repeat a couple dozen times. Thank you for your cooperation.

    I think it would be easier to just ask.

  3. Re:And so it begins.. by lbgator · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think the GP is onto something a little different than what the parent interpreted. Language may be an unnecessary step in this experiment.

    If someone is thinking "gee - I would love a hamburger" in English - would their brain scan be the same as a French guy thinking the same? If you started at some basic level (hunger, thirst, anger, love, pain) is there a common denominator in all brain activity? If there is commonality, can we hope to someday eliminate language and have comms come straight from the source?