A new report has come out of many sources, which suggest that brain implants could now aid a man in expressing his thoughts without using his hands. With the help of these implants, he could now write his thoughts down on a screen.
The technology has stemmed from the work done by researchers in which they have embedded Artificial Intelligence with neural implants, which could let a man reeling with paralysis write down his thoughts with the help of a system called “mind writing.” The new biotech could let a man or a woman note down his thoughts and feelings on the screen in a textual form. Well, it might seem like a science fiction idea straight out of Hollywood, but it is indeed true.
For centuries now, human beings have been fascinated with the idea of telepathy, be it through demons, gods, or even Santa Claus. With the advent of computers and AI, science writers have even dreamed about a computer reading the mind of a human (have you seen the film “Transcendence”?). Well, now scientists have figured out a way to make it possible, however scary it may sound. They have produced a technology that makes use of concepts such as machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) to manifest imagined tests on a screen. The system can comprehend the textual form of thoughts that takes place in the brain and present them to the viewers.
The group of “boffins” have even tested this technology on a sixty-five-year-old man with paralysis. They implanted sensors into his brain to monitor neural activity associated with writing by hand. The subject had to just imagine himself writing some words, and the data was then transmitted to an algorithm, which then converted the neural information into actual words and displayed the output on the screen. A detailed video of this process is present on the internet, and you can watch it right now if you are interested. Just reach the YouTube site and search for “brain-computer interface.” The result will show you one video using which you can learn more about this technology.
There is another way to learn about this. The detailed information about the technology and experiment has been included as a report in the latest edition of a journal called “Nature.” The co-author of the study named Krishna Shenoy, has declared that this research and method is more profound than preceding research that has attempted in translating the speech rather than handwriting. Shenoy made a statement about the research in which he said that the contemporary research in this field could go as far as a 50-word dictionary employing machine learning technology to decode speeches. He added that by using the method of handwriting to record the data of hundreds of different neurons, the technology they have created could write down any letter imagined in mind. Thus,
The primary advantage of this technology suggested by the experiment done by the group of scientists alludes to the fact that it will massively help people dealing with paralysis in expressing their thoughts. Using BCI, people can write something down without even using their hands. Neuralink, backed up by worldwide figure Elon Musk, is pre-eminently working on a technology similar to this, which will also use brain implant methods.
Shenoy promotes the technology by highlighting its usefulness in a statement in which he mentioned the ample amount of time people spend typing and communicate with different individuals, and how people who have lost their power to interact are unable to do so, and the scientific community must come forward and help those individuals, and therefore, we see technologies akin to this one left, right, and center coming out in large numbers.
However, it is important not to get ahead of ourselves as the technology has been tried on a single subject only, and several things need to be looked at before it can achieve any serious public credence. Yet, it must be stating that the roots of the technology have stemmed from preceding works done by Shenoy and his team, which indicates that they are on this for a very long time.
