Here's the topic for today - please share your thoughts in a comment!



I'm not sure if it will be accepted by most people; controlling devices with your mind seems to be very convenient, but it isn't necessary for most usage. Speaking into a phone isn't really more useful than “thinking” into it, unless you want to be silent; receiving a message telepathically is, similarly, not much better than hearing it. However, if mental control of a device gives you a much better level of control than using traditional knobs, keys, or interfaces, that might be important in those cases. So maybe brain-to-device communication will be something important to specialists but not so much to other people?

I think it would catch on.
There's an idea that you'll reveal your innermost thoughts inadvertently but communication thinking doesn't work that way. You think exactly the same (pretty much) the way you write or speak- barring stutters etc.
-In that it's a concious effort to “say” something in your mind before you communicate it externally, the words don't just tumble out by themselves or with some uncontrollable internal doublespeak “mind voice” commentary the way they do in TV shows when it shows a character's thought process as they're talking.
I know this because I've read about the studies they've done into speech and mind communication.

It would be good for conveying stuff that's hard to put into words- if you COULD do that. Show an image of something in your head, the feeling that accompanies a word, a smell, texture, taste, heat cold, sadness, joy, anger, etc.

If it's not just words but all that extra stuff as well then it would be FAR superior to phone, text, and video communication.

Better be pretty specific if its somehow wireless. Hate to stumble into the kitchen thinking about coffee and finding my thought controlled Keurig starting the coffee when I had already changed my mind.

And if it's not wireless might as well keep it voice controlled. Or will I have to get little apps or downloads into my brain implant to access different machines? What would be the nuts and bolts of something like this?

bravo1102 wrote:
Better be pretty specific if its somehow wireless. Hate to stumble into the kitchen thinking about coffee and finding my thought controlled Keurig starting the coffee when I had already changed my mind.

And if it's not wireless might as well keep it voice controlled. Or will I have to get little apps or downloads into my brain implant to access different machines? What would be the nuts and bolts of something like this?

There probably would be different forms of it, and it would probably involve a learned biofeedback trigger to “direct” one's thoughts in the proper manner. This technique already exists so I think it could be adapted like we're talking about here as well.