Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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:
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.
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.