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.