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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."

4 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Words chosen by Intron · · Score: 5, Funny

    The list of words chosen were: funding, grant, tenure, award, patent, contract, ...

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  2. Excellent! by jimand · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now that a computer can read my mind I'm waiting for the mind-reading 'puter that knows to change the mouse focus when I look at a new window. I hate looking at one window while typing in another, especially when posting to /. while I have a window open with an email to my boss. It turns out he's not interested in the goatse link.

  3. I for one welcome our new mind-reading by davidwr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hold on, just got handed this printout:

    "Thank you, but we already knew you were going to say that.

    Sincerely,

    Your new mind-reading computer overlords."

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  4. 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.