US Army Invests in 'Thought Helmet' Technology

Discussion in 'Intelligence & Machines' started by kmguru, Sep 24, 2008.

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  1. kmguru

    kmguru Staff Member

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    US Army Invests in 'Thought Helmet' Technology for Voiceless Communication
    by Lisa Zyga, Technology / Hi Tech


    In the future, soldiers may be communicating silently with sophisticated "thought helmets." The devices would harness a person´s brain waves and transmit them as radio waves, where they would be translated into words in the headphones of other soldiers.

    The US Army has recently awarded a five-year $4 million contract to researchers from the University of California at Irvine (led by UCI´s Mike D´Zmura), Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland to study the concept. It will likely be a decade or two before the thought helmet becomes a reality, but the rough technology is already under investigation. Researchers have been working on other brain-computer interfaces, such as Emotiv Systems´ brain-wave headset for video games, which is expected to be available commercially next summer.

    The Army's version would of course be more sophisticated and reliable than the gaming headset. To make the thought helmet a feasible piece of equipment for soldiers, scientists need to combine advances in computing power together with our understanding of the human brain.

    At the moment, the thought helmet concept consists of 128 sensors buried in a soldier´s helmet. Soldiers would need to think in clear, formulaic ways, which is similar to how they are already trained to talk. The key challenge to making the system work is a software system that can read an electroencephalogram (EEG) generated by the sensor data, and pick out when a soldier is thinking words, and what those words are.

    Because the brain is a complex system and generates such large amounts of data, researchers must also make improvements in computing power. Soldiers will also have to be trained to think "loudly" to make it easier for the system to pick out their words from the brain´s background noise. Also, every individual´s EEG signals are a little different, so users and computers will have to be calibrated so that computers recognize each person´s unique mental pattern.

    In early versions, recipients will most likely hear messages rendered by a robotic voice in their headphones. But the researchers also think it´s possible to render commands in the speaker´s own voice, as well as indicate the location of the speaker relative to the listener.

    For people concerned about the ethics of the technology, Elmar Schmeisser, the Army neuroscientist overseeing the program, reassures that the technology will not allow mind-reading. As he explains, since every user has to be trained with the system, it would be impossible to use the technology against an individual´s will and without their cooperation.

    Instead, the researchers are interested in potential civilian benefits. One such application might be a Bluetooth headpiece which could read speakers´ thoughts and transmit them to the person they´re calling - eliminating those loud, one-sided conversations in public.

    http://www.physorg.com/news141314439.html
     
    kmguru, Sep 24, 2008
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  3. cosmictraveler

    cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Here is the prototype hat to transmit your thoughts with.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
    cosmictraveler, Sep 24, 2008
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  5. one_raven

    one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    A decade or two?
    They have already been working on similar ideas with flying planes by thought for over two decades and have made inchworm progress.
    I think closer to a century or two, but time will tell.
     
    one_raven, Sep 24, 2008
    #3

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  7. sniffy

    sniffy Banned Banned

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    fMRI scans + SPECT + EEG + genetic mapping 20 years maximum. Just google EMOTIV EPOC and NeuroSky and be very afraid.....
     
    sniffy, Sep 24, 2008
    #4
  8. CheskiChips

    CheskiChips Banned Banned

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    Thanks for telling us what to fear sniffy.

    It seems like even if they could get this to work; that each person would have to have an individualized helmet... I don't think thoughts are identical in all people. It would have to be programmed some how with a finite set of commands.
     
    CheskiChips, Sep 24, 2008
    #5
  9. sniffy

    sniffy Banned Banned

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    Did you google yet?
    Helmets, implants, electrodes. Sounds like science fiction but it's not.
     
    sniffy, Sep 24, 2008
    #6
  10. w1z4rd

    w1z4rd Valued Senior Member

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    US Army + Thought helmet... feels like an oxymoron.
     
    w1z4rd, Sep 24, 2008
    #7
  11. amark317

    amark317 game developer-in-training Registered Senior Member

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    What would be even better is if the thoughts were just translated into mental images, so that there is nothing lost in translation.

    Of course, with verbal thoughts, you would be getting so much shit from everyone else that you wouldn't even know what thoughts are yours anymore.
     
    amark317, Sep 24, 2008
    #8
  12. Stryder

    Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    The main problem with these sorts of technologies is they use generic equipment. One helmet suits all, there is no biometric's involved in encryption etc. This is an issue because it means that information could easily be ripped from someone or worse still inserted. Perhaps people should think the sort of implications in the espionage industry.

    Stealing designs, Harassing people to commit murders, abusing people, Vote rigging and all in the name of progress?
     
    Stryder, Sep 24, 2008
    #9
  13. S.A.M.

    S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Amazing, those were my exact thoughts.

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    S.A.M., Sep 24, 2008
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  14. Mr.Spock

    Mr.Spock Back from the dead Valued Senior Member

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    sounds cool. they should add it in crisis 2.
     
    Mr.Spock, Sep 25, 2008
    #11
  15. Asguard

    Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    there is no way in HELL this will work with our current understanding of the brain. hell all we can work out so far is that this section controls this and that controls that, there is no chance we could even work out that such and such means HELLO
     
    Asguard, Sep 25, 2008
    #12
  16. Mr.Spock

    Mr.Spock Back from the dead Valued Senior Member

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    why not? how much do we know of the brain it wouldnt work?
     
    Mr.Spock, Sep 25, 2008
    #13
  17. Asguard

    Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    im not saying that the brain cant do it, what im saying is that currently there is no way to interpret whats coming through

    take a symple task, a computer game where there are two choices, go left or go right. now when faced with this choice we know that certain portions of the brain become more active, at a guess the judgment center, the creative center, oviously those portions which deal with interpreting sight and probably movement as well.

    yet even so there is no way to tell which choice that person made. hell i wish this was possable because if it was we could be manufacturing prosetic limbs which actually funtion by a transmitter from the brain but yet the closest we have got to this is trying to work out which nerve impulses belong to certain mussles and working from that end to transmit to a prostetic
     
    Asguard, Sep 25, 2008
    #14
  18. Mr.Spock

    Mr.Spock Back from the dead Valued Senior Member

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    the helmet is based on brain waves.
     
    Mr.Spock, Sep 25, 2008
    #15
  19. Asguard

    Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    so?
     
    Asguard, Sep 25, 2008
    #16
  20. Stryder

    Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    Most cybernetic system will use a period of "training". The training system is not dissimilar from Speech Recognition software however instead of dealing with vocalised waveforms where a system has to match phonetics to written word translations you are dealing with the interaction of the brain with various ruleset's. In your example merely generating a turn left or right.

    Obviously a turn mechanism is different depend on how the Turn itself is formatted, if you are stating a direction "Left" in a game of say Pacman, it's different from turning left in a First Person Perspective. The two visual reactions are different which generate different stimuli within the brain.

    I guess I'm implying there is difference between Observation and Instruction, however those regions of the brain are well known about and many Cybernetics projects have the capacity to hook up to the waveforms formed in those areas.

    (incidentally how do you think Stepen Hawking's communicates with the world?)
     
    Stryder, Sep 26, 2008
    #17
  21. Asguard

    Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    as far as i know steven hawkins doesnt use brain waves, his computer reads his eye movements

    for instance up to the left for yes, up to the right for no. now his program is MUCH more advanced than that oviously
     
    Asguard, Sep 26, 2008
    #18
  22. Oli

    Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    Pfft the Norwegians have been working on this since sometime in the seventies...
     
    Oli, Sep 27, 2008
    #19
  23. s0meguy

    s0meguy Worship me or suffer eternally Valued Senior Member

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    if they invent stuff like this and learn to make people people see stuff by simply 'inserting' it into their brains (even if they don't want to), learning stuff can become a lot easier and also fun. But it'll also make indoctrination much easier, and also make it possible for people to extract information from your brain that you don't want people to know.

    its kinda scary.

    If this technology comes into existence it's only a matter of time before thought police becomes a reality.

    Maybe we'll learn techniques to keep our thoughts hidden, similar to what is mentioned in the start post, that soldiers are supposed to be trained to think loudly.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2008
    s0meguy, Sep 28, 2008
    #20
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