A new MIT-developed device called AlterEgo can "hear" the words you speak in your mind but don't say out-loud, and speak them for you. It's in a way reading your mind indirectly, and can also be used as an intelligence-augmentation (IA) device.
Credit: Lorrie Lejeune/MIT
How does this crazy computer interface work? The device goes on your head, and electrodes detect neuromuscular signals in the jaw and face that we can't see but are present when we internally verbalize speech, which means words we say in our heads and not out-loud. These neuromuscular signals are then correlated with specific words through a machine-learning system.
The device can then take what you said internally and feed it back to your ear through headphones that transmit vibrations through the bones in your face. These aren't earphones, as they don't go in or on the ear, and allow normal sounds to continue to be heard.
This can be used to ask questions and receive answers silently. For example, a chess player can ask questions without his opponent knowing, then receive computer-generated responses as to the best move to make. This allows someone to augment the intelligence about a situation through computer-fed information. The computer further melds man and machine by becoming a part of the internal processes and extending cognition. A "second self" emerges as an alter-ego that speaks to you internally.
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With this tech, you can avoid the socially-disruptive phubbing of smartphones, and still look things up while you are having conversations with others. Not only that, you can avoid putting in your phone passcode to do so. You can appear present to others, but still use technological services with your attention without others knowing you are.
The system has a 92% transcription accuracy when customized for 15 minutes to specific users neurophysiology and used for 90 minutes of testing. Like other transcription technology, the accuracy increases as more training data is fed into the program. The current device picks up on 7 key points along the jawline, but can likely be reduced to 4 electronodes to make it a less obtrusive wearable device.
Currently the device performs well in arithmetic and chess vocabulary, but the real-world applications will increase with greater expansion of vocabularies. Areas like air-traffic control with loud jet engines around can see this technology benefit as they internally vocalize and transmit data to the tower rather than radio it in verbally. Having difficulty hearing what the tower says is also illuminated when wearing ear protection, as the responses will be internalized an d not fed through the outer ear as with normal earphones.
Power plants, printing presses, construction, drilling, firefighting and other environments where people wear protective gear can also benefit from this tech. People with disabilities in speaking could also benefit. Of course, there are military application as well. Special-ops signals can be done through the AlterEgo rather than with hand signals that may not always be visible.
Here is the MIT video demonstrating the technology:
AlterEgo: Interfacing with devices through silent speech
What do you think about this new technology? It's currently visible, but maybe it could be made into an implant to detect neuromuscular signals instead, whereby people can cheat at games like chess, or students can cheat on their tests. You could be talking to someone and they could have a book being read to them, or listening to a sports game, without you even knowing it. Would that bother you?
References:
- Computer system transcribes words users 'speak silently'
- Arnav Kapur et al. AlterEgo, Proceedings of the 2018 Conference on Human Information Interaction&Retrieval - IUI '18 (2018). DOI: 10.1145/3172944.3172977
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First Contact with our cyborg future?
Look familiar?
LOL, nice! Yeah...creepy :/
and so it begins. Soon there will be slave crowns. This is straight up the most insane spy tech ever. How long has the government had this? Can you imagine what they can do with this technology in the interrogation room and you would never know it? Thought Police incoming.
Yeah, watch out what you think, could be transmitted wirelessly to authorities :/
Wow thats so amazing really like your posts
Holy shit.
Lolx! At your last sentence. With every technology comes great potentials for both good and evil being done with it. So it will definitely solve problems helping to augment speech for the autistic and people with birth defects. Who knows? It may actually help us learn how their mind really works!
Cheers!😎
Yup, positives and negatives ;)
Yes, because they are not present.
If they are not going to be present, i may as well not be there.
I agree ;)
why would i want to hear what i am thinking? this technology will be great it it is focused on me hearing what another person is thinking.
maybe they can make it transmit the output data to another device. then there will be two of us sharing our thoughts without talking to each other.
Curated for #informationwar (by @truthforce)
Relevance: Government To Start Mind Control/Reading Minds
plz up vote me
thus it starts. Before long there will be slave crowns. This is straight up the most crazy government operative tech ever. To what extent has the legislature had this? Would you be able to envision what they can do with this innovation in the cross examination room and you could never know it? Thought Police approaching.