Technology allowing our thoughts and feelings to be translated into a digital form and shared is already a reality. Brain computer interfaces (BCI) allow us to connect our minds to computers for some limited purposes, and big tech companies including Facebook and many startups want to make this technology commonplace.
Managing AI and ML in the Enterprise
The AI and ML deployments are well underway, but for CXOs the biggest issue will be managing these initiatives, and figuring out where the data science team fits in and what algorithms to buy versus build.
Read More
For those of you terrified by the prospect of technology recording and broadcasting your opinions of the boss, your secret fears, or anything else relax.
At least, for now.
BCIs are currently not sophisticated enough to collect such granular information. The data they can gather is more based around measuring the physical movements people want to make or their emotional state. But, as machine-learning algorithms become more sophisticated and BCI hardware becomes more capable, it may be possible to read thoughts with greater precision.
SEE: How to implement AI and machine learning (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)
There are currently two approaches to connecting up the human brain to external computing systems, invasive and non-invasive.
Non-invasive systems read neural signals through the scalp, typically using EEG, the same technologies used by neurologists to interpret the brain's electrical impulses in order to diagnose epilepsy. Non-invasive systems can also transmit information back into the brain with techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation, again already in use by medics.
Invasive systems, meanwhile, involve direct contact between the brain and electrodes, and are being used experimentally to help people that have experienced paralysis to operate prostheses, like robotic limbs, or to aid people with hearing or sight problems to recover some element of the sense they've lost.
Clearly, there are more immediate hazards to invasive systems: surgery always brings risks, particularly where the delicate tissue of the brain is concerned. So given the risks involved, why choose an invasive system over a non-invasive system why put electronics into your grey matter itself? As ever, there's a trade-off to be had. Invasive systems cut out the clutter and make it easier to decode what's going on in the brain.
Non-invasive systems use the likes of EEG to read brain activity, which need millions of neurones acting in sync with each other to give a usable idea of what's going on in the brain by creating a large enough electrical field that can be detected outside the surface of the scalp. But it's a very crude measure.
"It's the equivalent of standing outside a football stadium and trying to work out what's going on in the game just by listening to the cheers. You can get a picture of some of the big events, but it's difficult to get fine-grained information," says Ian Daly, lecturer at the University of Essex's School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.
Invasive systems, however, are in direct contact with the neurones so even though they may only gather a signal from a hundred neurones, that signal is clear enough to give an insight into the thought process travelling through it.
Take Ian Burkhart, a man with paraplegia who regained some function of arms using a neurosleeve and software by US-based BCI company Battelle, as well as a Utah Array implanted into his brain. Typically, the thought required to move an arm is the job of thousands of neurones; Burkhart can move the Battelle system with just a few tens of neurones after training himself to use the system. "Our brain has 98 billion neurones, the motor cortex has 1.2 billion responsible for hand or limb movements. We are recording from less than 100," says Gaurav Sharma, senior research scientist at Battelle.
SEE: Mind-reading systems: Seven ways brain computer interfaces are already changing the world
To date, most uses of invasive systems have been aimed at helping people with paralysis to move their limbs once again; the greater risks of invasive systems can be worth the payoff for them.
As such, for consumer-tech applications, the short to medium term future of BCIs is likely to be non-invasive.
While non-invasive systems may not match the accuracy of their invasive counterparts, there are new technological avenues opening up that could help researchers level-up non-invasive systems. For example, progress in machine learning is helping scientists better separate the signals from the noise, meaning the accuracy of non-invasive systems will only increase in future.
As well as software improvements, additional scanning types are beginning to be used by BCI systems: focused ultrasound and transcranial direct-current stimulation, for example, might offer a new way to read brain signals.
Others believe that existing non-invasive technologies can deliver the same brain-reading capabilities as invasive systems at least when it comes to motor control.
New York-based CTRL Labs for example uses EMG (electromyography), which reads the electrical activity in skeletal muscle and is used by neurologists to detect nerve performance in the limbs and elsewhere. CTRL Labs makes wrist bands that measure electrical impulses, known as action potentials, in neurones within muscles, and models them in software. When you move your hand, the CTRL Labs system translates that as a hand movement, including its direction, strength and type. It was acquired by Facebook earlier this month.
"We believe that if what you're interested in doing is control you can get all the signal you want and get it more easily through non-invasive means", Adam Berenzweig, head of R&D at CTRL Labs, told ZDNet earlier this month.
"The signal you want is available on surface EMG if you do it well enough, and more than that, the signal is easier to get because in the cortex, all the billions of neurones in the brain are interfering and are noise," says Berenzweig. So if all you're interested in is picking up movement signals from the brain, in most people, non-invasive systems might still do the trick.
SEE: Facebook's 'mind-reading' tech startup deal could completely change how we control computers
While invasive systems will continue to be used by those with the greatest amount to gain from BCIs, such as people with spinal injuries or neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease, broader uptake among consumers is likely to be concentrated on non-invasive systems.
Because reading signals from the brain through the scalp requires direct contact between the skin and the electrodes, it makes unwanted reading of anyone's thoughts at source unlikely and highly noticeable you'd expect most people would be aware of a stranger unexpectedly touching their head, especially with a set of electrodes. Mind reading at source would be too easy to detect.
That said, once the data is collected by BCI and passed on to other software, it's just as secure as any other set of information. In the wake of many, many data breaches it's clear there are no guarantees that sensitive information is better protected than other kinds of data.
Finding out that your information has been accessed by a data breach is never pleasant, but that someone could have been browsing your thoughts patterns or emotional states? It doesn't bear thinking about.
See the rest here:
Mind-reading technology is everyone's next big security nightmare - ZDNet
- Technology Synonyms, Technology Antonyms | Thesaurus.com - January 7th, 2017 [January 7th, 2017]
- Information technology - Wikipedia - January 7th, 2017 [January 7th, 2017]
- Technology and Electronics Reviews - USATODAY.com - January 7th, 2017 [January 7th, 2017]
- Technology Forum - reddit.com - January 7th, 2017 [January 7th, 2017]
- Technology: Industries: PwC - January 22nd, 2017 [January 22nd, 2017]
- National Education Technology Plan - Office of Educational ... - January 22nd, 2017 [January 22nd, 2017]
- Technology News - The New York Times - January 24th, 2017 [January 24th, 2017]
- Computer Business Review - Computer Business Review - January 24th, 2017 [January 24th, 2017]
- Technology - Pogue's Posts Blog - The New York Times - February 2nd, 2017 [February 2nd, 2017]
- What the Tech: Neuro-Bio Monitor Technology - KFDX - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Globalization failed too many people. Here's the technology that could help it work for everyone - Quartz - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Bill Nye forecasts next 50 years, says we're at a technological crossroad - Digital Trends - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Interview with Matt Nix about his new Fox show APB. - Slate - Slate Magazine - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- In This Year's Super Bowl Of Technology, Intel Led The Way With A Sky Full Of Drones - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Learning From Last Year: Technology Funding Outlooks For 2017 - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Ossia hires new CEO to help commercialize its wireless charging technology - GeekWire - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Microsoft's AI group debuts customizable speech-to-text technology, rapidly expanding 'cognitive services' for ... - GeekWire - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- A flare for self-destruction: How technology is the means, not the cause, of our demise - National Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Broadcaster dangles new technology for Winter Olympics - Reuters - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- These Four Black Women Inventors Reimagined the Technology of the Home - Smithsonian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- How 3D and Self-Design Will Change Technology - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Factory Boss Says Fishing Technology Could Improve Controversial US Border Wall - Voice of America - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Republicans Aim to Kill Election Technology Standards Agency - Gizmodo - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Solutions replace technology as the focus at ISE 2017 - Installation International - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Five Rules That Define The Technology Innovator - Forbes - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Three Ways That Digital Technology Can Help Chemical Producers - Forbes - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Cinematographers Deploy Innovative Technology to Create Better Images - Variety - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- How Technology Transforms Dreamers Into Economic Powerhouses - Forbes - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Coming technology will likely destroy millions of jobs. Is Trump ready? - Washington Post - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Mysterious $5 Billion Biotech Moderna Hit With Legal Setback Related To Key Technology - Forbes - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Berlinale: Jury Talks Up Art But Politics and Technology Enter Discussion - Variety - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Opinion: Harry Boxer's stocks to watch: biotechnology and technology - MarketWatch - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Nasdaq plans venture arm to invest in financial technology: sources - Reuters - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- A modern-day Rosie the Riveter campaign: Women in technology - The Hill (blog) - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- A growing concern: Technology and transportation - Florida Today - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Top 10 Mobility Technologies Market by Technology & Geography - Global Forecast to 2022 - Yahoo Finance - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Volvo melds technology and luxury in the XC90 T8 hybrid - Engadget - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- CEFC warns against risky investment in 'clean coal' technology - The Guardian - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Scientist calls for industrial scale-up of greenhouse gas-eating microbe technology in UK - Phys.Org - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Software company introduces game-changing technology for Michigan Realtors - HousingWire - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- New laser technology enables more sensitive gravitational-wave detectors - Phys.Org - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Why Quotient Technology Inc. Stock Surged 21% Higher on Friday - Fox Business - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- How Technology Is Improving Influencer Marketing (And Can Help Improve Your Brand) - Forbes - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Hands-on: EVGA's sensor-laden iCX technology revolutionizes ... - PCWorld - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- New Ground Technology uses digital graphics on turf - Golf Channel - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Facing State System review, Cal U to emphasize science and technology - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- International Game Technology: A Lottery Bet That's Paying Off - Barron's - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Our seas have become a plastic graveyard - but can technology turn the tide? - Telegraph.co.uk - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Technology identifying fastest checkout lanes comes to metro - KCCI Des Moines - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- This Technology Could Be a Game-Changer for the Marijuana Industry - Fox Business - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Editorial: Higher education and technology are job creators, so why is the governor cutting their funding? - STLtoday.com - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- BLAEDC: Entrepreneurs find a technology-friendly home in the Brainerd lakes area - Brainerd Dispatch - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Small cell technology is large endeavor for state - Crain's Cleveland Business - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Eye tracking technology will change these 4 domains - The Next Web - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- The technology fixing Britain's parking problem - The Independent - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Tim Cook: Augmented Reality is as big of a technology as the smartphone - BGR - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- How technology is encouraging society to be stupid - The Next Web - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- IBM Adds Voice Help to Cybercrime-Fighting Watson-Powered Weaponry - Campus Technology - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Market Higher As 4 Key Steel, Technology Stocks Top Buy Points - Investor's Business Daily - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- A look at North Korea's missile launches and technology - ABC News - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- The CFO Imperative: Next-Gen Technology Drives Cost Optimization - Knowledge@Wharton - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Technology puts 'touch' into long-distance relationships - Phys.Org - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- A New Angel Investing Platform Connects Deep Technology And Science Startups With Capital - Forbes - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Formula 1 now capable of 'internet' broadcasts with new technology - autosport.com - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- How dangerous is technology? - OUPblog (blog) - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Apple's Eddy Cue says technology companies have a responsibility to combat fake news - Recode - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Valentine's day: what's your secret technology crush? - Naked Security - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Parents and technology How much is too much? - WGBA-TV - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Is Magic Leap Lying About Its Acid Trip Technology? - Vanity Fair - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- BYU-Idaho dedicates and showcases new Science and Technology Center - LocalNews8.com - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Even Indian technology entrepreneurs think they are living in a ... - Quartz - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- 3 tips for regulating our kids' technology use - The Herald-Times (subscription) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Don Cunningham column: Technology giveth, and it taketh away - Allentown Morning Call - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Warren Buffett's Increasing Passion For Apple And Technology - Forbes - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- DNA technology gives new face to decade-old cold case - The San Diego Union-Tribune - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Can Technology Really Solve China's Healthcare Crisis? - Forbes - Forbes - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Emerging technology is keyword: Demand for experts in robotics & big data up 50% - Economic Times - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Five technologies that will change how we live - Financial Times - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Football League agrees to use goalline technology in Championship - The Guardian - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Telecom operators navigate three technology transformation options - TechTarget - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]