A computer capable of reading your mind. It sounds like something straight out of a science fiction novel. No more. Researchers at Microsoft are now using relatively inexpensive electroencephalography (EEG) caps to measure people brain’s electrical activity and are then applying sophisticated algorithms to sift through this data and decipher into something meaningful enough for a computer to use.
The list of possible applications is almost endless. I have written before about how Sony has already taken out a patent on a similar application and hopes to apply it to provide an enhanced experience for video gamers. I am sure that Microsoft is interested in doing the same thing in order that its next generation version of Xbox will remain competitive with PlayStation and future iterations of the Nintendo Wii.
Longer-term, such a technology might be able to simplify a person’s interaction with a computer. For example, it has been suggested that by measuring a person’s concentration level a computer can be made to tell if its user is confused and in need of assistance. (Hopefully, if this application does come to fruition, Microsoft will have an icon slightly less annoying than its infamous dancing paperclip popping up on screen and offering assistance.)
The technology might also have applications in controlling a variety of household items. For instance, if pressing a button on a television remote is too taxing for the average citizen of the future he or she can merely think of what station they want to watch and it will change accordingly. Heaven forbid, though, my two children should get a hold of this technology. The fights over what they want to watch will be horrendous. (On a side note, perhaps, because the shows my kids tend to watch are mindless—think High School 2—the technology won’t work.)
Still another application for the technology can be found in tying it together with advances in robotics. Researchers at the University of Washington (which is in Microsoft’s backyard) have already demonstrated that they can rudimentally control a robot by thought alone. Bill Gates has made no secret of his intention to make his company a major player in the field of robotics, and if his software can be used to make iRobot’s Roomba (or any other robot for that matter) more flexible and adaptable to the needs of its user, the possibilities could be pretty exciting and should give Microsoft investors some interesting food for thought.
Jack Uldrich has a lot on his mind and could use help deciphering it. He is also a writer, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. Jack is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business, and speaks frequently on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership.
