Nerve-tapping neckband used in 'telepathic' chat : My Idea of Neurovision

My following comment was published in The New Scientist dated 12 March, 2008 :
URL:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13449-nervetapping-neckband-used-in-
telepathic-chat.html
Nerve-tapping neckband used in 'telepathic' chat
17:23 12 March 2008 by Tom Simonite
Video: The world's first "voiceless" phone call took place thanks to a neckband
that converts nerve impulses into speech (footage courtesy Texas Instruments)
A neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals has
been used to demonstrate a "voiceless" phone call for the first time.
With careful training a person can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without
making a sound. These signals are picked up by the neckband and relayed wirelessly
to a computer that converts them into words spoken by a computerised voice.
A video (right) shows the system being used to place the first public voiceless
phone call on stage at a recent conference held by microchip manufacturer Texas
Instruments. Michael Callahan, co-founder of Ambient Corporation, which developed
the neckband, demonstrates the device, called the Audeo.
Users needn't worry about that the system voicing their inner thoughts though.
Callahan says producing signals for the Audeo to decipher requires "a level above
thinking". Users must think specifically about voicing words for them to be picked
up by the equipment.

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/commenting/browse?id=dn13449

Neurovision
Thu Apr 09 14:26:57 BST 2009 by Bal Patil
This 'neckband' innovation translating thought into speech reminds me of my letter
to the New Scientist quoted below in which I proposed it should be possible to
transmit neural images of memories stored in the brain. Later on the Japanese Sony
devised a matrix to transmit sense of smell and touch. My letter is as follows:

"Following is my letter dated June 17, 2000 to New Scientist:

Dear Editor, New Scientist,

I am concerned to write to you after reading about an Aljazeera (AFP) report of

the NS exclusive report on Sony's patent for transmitting smell and taste. I am
reproducing below a letter I wrote to you on June 17, 2000:

June 17, 2000,

Dear Editor, New Scientist,

I am writing to you second time in a span of two decades. My first letter to you
was published in New Scientist dt.20/27 December, 1979, of which I have pleasure
in attaching a copy. It was concerning the British Council library services in
India. I have attached my correspondence with the British government. In
retrospect it was a wise decision not only not to close the services in India as
ill-advisedly suggested by the Think Tank but to augment the same. As a member of
the British Council for more than four decades I always cherish its excellent
library services. And not the least of its prime attractions is the latest issue
of New Scientist which I make a point to read.

The creative provocation for writing this letter in a spirit of remembrance of

things past was provided by the New Scientist issue dt. June 6, 2000 and its
column ' Pennies for your Thoughts', in which you have given information about
some websites like IdeaDollar.com and HelloBrain.com where one can cash on one's
brainwaves. As one who has become computer-savvy in the last four months at the
age of 67 and roaming the wonderland of the internet I feel an irresistible urge
to share with you and the readers of your prestigious magazine before logging in
with these sites an idea. By this strategy I am safeguarding my idea in case it
has any potential worth.

My idea concerns interaction between opthalmological, cerebral, and neurological

sciences. Everyone is aware how some people are gifted with graphic memories, and
everyone has experience of storing and recalling mentally vivid and graphic
remembrance of things, people and places as if by photographic recall. I wonder if
it would be possible to synchronise optical cerebral nerves and form digital
electronic images and project them through appropriate software technology.
Already opthalmological advances are making it possible for the blind to see
through artificial vision.

Opthalmological science is on the brink of a quantum jump : researchers are trying

to produce articial vision system. An intensive and intricate research effort is
going on for a decade at the Johns Hopkins University to artificially replace
damaged eyes. And a flickering hope in this visionary odyssey is provided by their
experiment on Churchey's eyes.

In place of the damaged 72-year old eyes of Cherchey the researchers are trying to
produce an artificial vision system that can electronically transmit images to the
brain to create sight. The system would consist of a computerised miniature video
camera mounted on a pair of glasses and sophisticated computer chip that that
would be surgically implanted into the eye. The camera would transmit its image to
the computer chip, which would be connected to tissue in the back of the eye
called the retine so it could transmit images to the brain.

I rather think that the development of such a device of video-neuro-optical

transmission would be as innovative as television and could be termed as
Neurovision.

I think therefore that this .Necband' is a precursor to the eventual innovation of

an 'Optical Band".