The next generation in voice technology may bypass the mouth altogether. A couple of weeks ago we saw a consumer product called the "Roadrunner" headset with microphones strategically placed next to the voicebox--which readers say was based on military versions--but a new technology takes the concept to a level worthy of a sci-fi novel.
Ambient's "Audeo," which colleague Rafe Needleman saw demonstrated at a conference in September, is described as a "voiceless phone" that uses sensors worn around the neck. A trained individual "can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without making a sound," according to New Scientist Tech, adding that "these signals are picked up by the neckband and relayed wirelessly to a computer that converts them into a computerized voice." The technology behind the Audeo has also been used in controlling wheelchairs.
One reassuring aspect: Ambient co-founder Michael Callahan says the system requires "a level above thinking," meaning that it will work only with thoughts about specific words--so it won't blurt out whatever pops into your head.
You've been thinking, "Hey, where are all the updates on mind-reading devices?" All the appropriate scientists already knew this, so they decided to give you what you want today.
(Credit:
New Scientist)
Here's this week's mind-readers' digest.
- Microsoft applies for mind-reading patent: According to this New Scientist blog post, Microsoft applied for a patent in August that would help the company figure out what people really think about its products. The technology in the patent application, titled "Using electroencephalograph signals for task classification and activity recognition," would read a user's brain states while testing Microsoft's interfaces. This would determine the effectiveness of each test UI and eliminate the possibility of test users telling Microsoft what Microsoft wants to hear. No, this technology is not included in Windows Vista SP1. Yes, you would have to volunteer to have your brain waves recorded. And hey, stop thinking about Bill Gates in a Speedo. [Via Boing Boing.]
- Brain-computer interface helps man cope with ALS: According to this DelawareOnline feature article, University of Pennsylvania professor Scott Mackler, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) nine years ago, is using a unique system that helps him communicate with people and technology. Mackler wears a cap fitted with 16 electrodes that relay his brainwaves to software that identifies what he is focusing on, helps him perform lectures, and creates written documents. The software is also configured to interact with his TV remote, which lets him trick his wife by changing the channel from girly movies to SportsCenter. More power to you, Scott. Keep fighting the good fight. [Via Delaware Online.]
- Control 'Second Life' with your mind: Just in case Second Life isn't enough like your real life, the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory at Japan's Keio University have created a brainwave-reading interface that lets users move avatars around with their minds. According to ScienceBlogs, the headset/computer system pinpoints brain activity in the motor cortex and makes on-screen characters move around accordingly. Apparently, all a player has to do is imagine the avatar performing a movement and it actually happens. There's even a YouTube clip of the system in action. [Via ScienceBlogs.]
- Can brainwaves identify child molesters preemptively? Whenever news of a new touch-screen interface hits the Web, a thousand Minority Report references are close behind. But this story is more Minority Report than all those screens combined. According to this BBC News story, a team of Yale University researchers have discovered a pattern in the way pedophiles' brain activity responds to adult pornographic images. In comparison to other patients in the test group, patients with pedophilic tendencies showed lower hypothalamus activity when they looked at adult pornography. Don't apply for the thought police just yet; rather than using these brain-activity patterns as a way to identify potential child molesters, lead researcher Dr. Georg Northoff says it is a key step in finding new and effective means of therapy for those with pedophilic thoughts. [Via BBC News.]
We're not sure if Alienware's decision to offer Phantom Entertainment's Lapboard gives the home theater PC input mash-up any credibility, but it definitely means that Phantom Entertainment, nee Infinium Labs, has remarkable staying power.
In brief, way back in 2004, Phantom Entertainment/Infinium Labs announced a Phantom Console designed to bring PC gaming to the living room by pairing it with an online delivery service. Infinium even got so far as to lure former Xbox co-creator Kevin Bachus into its ranks as CEO. Then reports surfaced questioning the legitimacy of the company. The console never materialized, Bachus quit, and we thought we'd heard the last of Infinium Labs. Apparently not.
Fast-forward to half an hour ago, and a press release pops up that Alienware will now be offering Phantom Entertainment's Lapboard with its Media Center PCs. We actually had a hands-on with an early version of the Lapboard back at Infinium Labs' booth at E3 2004. It seems a little beefier now, but the concept is the same. It's essentially a wireless keyboard with a mousing surface that folds out from the bottom. We remember thinking it was awkward, but not outright terrible. We have respect for Alienware's standards, too, but the Lapboard still seems like a long shot. Do you want a keyboard in your living room?
(Photo: Phantom Entertainment)
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