Update on Telepathy and Brain-Computer Interface Technologies

There is growing interest and investments being made by industry in Telepathy or Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technologies. These emerging technologies currently include a variety of wearable and implantable solutions that are already being pilot tested.

Telepathy has long been considered an aspect of psychic phenomena or a super power. Telepathy has also commonly been defined as a sort of information transmission from one person to another without using any of our known sensory channels or physical interaction.

However, as a growing number of artificial intelligence and implantable technologies have started to become a reality, the idea of using emerging technologies to begin telling machines to do what we want simply by telepathically thinking about it – a form of synthetic telepathy – has suddenly begun to be plausible.

Such technology is starting to be being developed, tested, and marketed as a new way to control video games, for battlefield communications, interactions with medical prosthetic limbs, and interfaces to many other computerized devices as we move into the future.

The U.S. Army is dedicating millions of research dollars into building and testing helmets to allow soldiers to telepathically communicate with weapon systems, or with one another, on the battlefield. Read more at http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/349839#ixzz46l0Pja9e

Telepathy involves the purported transmission of information from one person to another without the appearance of using any of our known physical sensory channels. Brain Computer Interface (BCI), mind-machine interface (MMI), or brain–machine interface (BMI), involves the direct communication between an augmented or 'wired' brain and some sort of external computer-driven device.

Selected Articles & Findings

The following are a selection of recently published articles on telepathy or brain computer interface (BCI) technologies that you might find interesting:

• Brain Computer Interface Allows for Telepathic Piloting of Drones
• How BrainNet Enabled 3 People to Directly Transmit Thoughts 
• Scientists Develop Real Telepathy Thanks To EEG Technology
• Telepathy is now possible using current technology
• DARPA Cortical Modem connects Brain to Computer enabling 'electronic Telepathy and Telekinesis'
• First Brain-to-Brain Interface is a step towards 'Digital Telepathy'
• High-tech ‘smart’ hat could allow humans to achieve Telepathy within a decade

• Mark Zuckerberg confirms Facebook is working on mind-reading technology

• Brain-computer interfaces are coming: Elon Musk and Neuralink Consensual Telepathy

• Scientists race to finish line for AI that reads human minds

   

  

Issues

Researchers and critics of telepathy or brain computer interface (BCI) technologies have raised several key issues that need to be addressed well before we go to far down the road with this technology. For example:

• Several individuals have warned that public sale of artificial telepathy technology would inevitably result in the theft of bank account numbers, PIN numbers, passwords, trade secrets, and other sensitive information that could then be used for a variety of nefarious purposes.
• Much like we're seeing as use of drone technology has proliferated, new legislation and controls need to be developed and put into place well before this emerging technology ever rolls out across the public and private sector.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Some form of digital or synthetic telepathy solution will emerge in the next decade or so and begin to be commercialized. Obviously Mark Zuckerberg hopes his company, Facebook, will lead the way. The pilot testing of alternative technical solutions are already underway. How it will finally be packaged and used when the 1st generation of solutions emerge will be interesting to watch.

Fortunately, we still have some time to consider the implications and address the key issues of privacy, security, and legislative restrictions on its use – or abuse. But take note, just like drones, teleportation, internet of things (IoT), unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV), commercialized space exploration, regenerative medicine, the technical singularity… it will become a reality of life over the next few decades.

Share any additional information you might have or any constructive insights about synthetic or digital telepathy with our readers.

Teleportation Update: It will be achieved incrementally this Century

Several years ago, an ABC News article reported that 39% percent of U.S. adults believe scientists will make teleportation happen in the next 50 years - according to Pew Research. It turns out they may be right.

Teleportation involves the transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. Many believe current technology provides no possibility of anything resembling the fictional form of teleportation we have seen portrayed in Star Trek movies.

However, I prefer to listen to experts like physicist Michio Kaku. He has stated in a number of venues over time that he believes "It is physically possible to teleport an entire human being across the room or maybe onto Mars." See http://bigthink.com/videos/the-metaphysics-of-teleportation-2

Quantum teleportation is a process by which quantum information (e.g. the exact state of an atom or photon) can be transmitted from one location to another via classical communication between the sending and receiving location proceeding no faster than the speed of light.

With the advent of 3D printing, we can now essentially 'transport' inanimate things across space by simply sending the digitized information about an object to a 3D printer in another location anywhere in this world – even to other planets. When the information is received, the object can then be 'printed' out.

Now think about the recent advances in holography and virtual reality (VR) technologies. We will shortly be able to enter the world of virtual reality and 'visit' other parts of the world and our solar system from th comfort of our living rooms. Holography takes that yet another step forward. See Microsoft 'Holoportation' with Hololens

Physically teleporting human beings is much more complex and is still many decades away. The solution that springs to mind, similar in concept to teleporting inanimate objects, may require us to do some profound thinking and to refine our definition of what exactly a human being is.

For example, is the 'heart & soul' of human beings the collected information and knowledge we have acquired since our birth that is stored in our brains. In other words, is a human some form of complex 'information being'.

If this is the case, can we be housed not only in our existing physical bodies, but could we also have the essence of our 'information being' digitized and teleported into a new synthetic 'body' of some sort (e.g. android, cyborg) at some remote location – anywhere in the world or across our solar system.

This may be possible in several decades as a wide range of technologies continue to advance and converge towards a moment of singularity where biotechnology solutions emerge and make possible the scenario above.

Take a few minutes to check out these recent articles on Teleportation:

• Scientists Successfully Teleported Quantum Material for the First Time - 2019 Chinese and Austrian scientists have succeeded in teleporting 3D quantum states for the first time.

• Teleportation: Photon particles today, humans tomorrow? Chinese scientists say they have "teleported" a photon particle from the ground to a satellite orbiting 1,400km (870 miles) away.

• Teleportation is possible, but how long will it be until humans can. Last year Canadian scientists successfully teleported tiny atoms faster than the speed of light. But experts claim thanks to a complicated theory in quantum mechanics, entire objects and even humans can be moved in the same way.

• Scientists demonstrate high-fidelity quantum teleportation over long distances - A team of scientists from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and five other institutions claim that they have achieved a sustained, long-distance 'quantum teleportation' over 27 miles.

According to a series of articles in 'The Futurist', we are not far from breaking the barriers to exchanging medical information, drugs, medical equipment, or life itself through biological teleportation and the advances of 3-D printing.

As civilization on Earth makes the transition from a Stage 0 to a more advanced Stage 1 civilization, the need to be able to teleport inanimate objects and 'human beings' around our solar system will become necessary.  See my related blog on "Redefining Our Purpose as Civilization Keeps Evolving".

The bottom line - teleportation is in fact possible right now and will progress incrementally over time, starting with inanimate objects in the immediate future and ultimately moving towards the teleportation of human beings.

One final note, by further embracing the use of open access, open source, and open communities, that will only help speed the process of developing more sophisticated forms of teleportation over the coming decades that will be needed by the end of this century.

The following are several links to key teleportation research, organizations, studies, etc.

• AAAS Teleportation Scientific Research & News
• ExtremeTech Teleportation News
• Futurism: Articles on Teleportation
• Popular Science Articles on Teleportation
• Wired News Search: Teleportation
• YouTube Video - Michio Kaku on Teleportation

56th Annual Elloree Trials in Santee Cooper Country, SC

It's that time again! Time for the 56th Annual Elloree Trials. This event provides another opportunity to showcase the town of Elloree in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. The festivities this year begin with 'Fillies and Follies' at the Elloree Museum and Heritage Center on Friday, March 23, 2018. Tickets are $40 per person, which features music, dancing and heavy hors d'oeuvres. For more information, visit www.elloreemuseum.org or you can call 803-897-2225.

This year's Elloree Trials will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at the Elloree Training Center on Racetrack Road. During the day, there will be races featuring both thoroughbreds and quarter horses – culminating in the running of the 56th Annual Elloree Cup. Gates open at 8 a.m., with races beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing until 6 p.m. Admission is $15 per person, and children under 12 are free. General parking is $5 and reserved parking is $50 to $110. For more information, contact the Elloree Training Center at 803-897-2616.

* For more information on equestrian events and horse riding around Santee Cooper Country, go to the Summerton SC: Nature & Outdoor Recreation web site.