Mind Technologies, Inc.(fka MTEK)

[alexander77]

Jackpot: MILITARY STUDIES POSSIBILITY OF SYNTHETIC TELEPATHY

I'll put this phrase first so you can all see the connection:

"According to the article, a 39-year-old biomedical scientist named Gerwin Schalk, an expert in "brain-computer interfaces at New York State Dept. of Health's Wadsworth Center at Albany Medical College, is working with other researchers on a U.S. Army project to provide the scientific basis for a workable 'thought helmet'."

In this month's issue of Discover Magazine (highly recommend, if you're looking to replace your tired old Newsweek subscription with something stimulating) there's an article by Adam Piore concerning an on-going Pentagon study being conducted to examine the possibility of creating mind-reading technology that would allow military personnel to communicate silently and without hand signals. Their study has proven potential, and its ramifications could extend far beyond any battlefield scenarios the military gives to justify the study's cost.
According to the article, a 39-year-old biomedical scientist named Gerwin Schalk, an expert in "brain-computer interfaces at New York State Dept. of Health's Wadsworth Center at Albany Medical College, is working with other researchers on a U.S. Army project to provide the scientific basis for a workable 'thought helmet'. Such a device would be worn by combat troops and would enable them to communicate silently, or in extremely chaotic or loud environments where normal communications would be impossible. It is also hoped that such a device might one day provide the ultimate advancement in the control of prosthetic limbs, allowing an amputee to control his or her computerized apendage with mere thought instead of muscle interaction. Like a lot of other scientific advancements that begin with military applications in mind, I can see how this one has great potential for everyday benefits to society at large, as well as some troubling possibilities, if one is willing to ponder the darker side of mind-reading technology. A helmet that has been equipped with thought processing electrodes and sensors fine tuned to pick up on the slightest variance in the wearer's mental signals could conceivably be used to pick a subject's mind, with or without his approval. Like many scientific advancements, this one is fraught with ethical questions yet to be answered, if they've even been considered at all. As it stands now, these scientists are merely getting a toe-hold on the technology. They have taken epilepsy patients who have volunteered, removed the tops of their skulls, and then attached electrodes to their brains. This has allowed them to not only find the regions of their brains that might best be removed to stop seizures, but also to study the concepts of a working synthetic thought transmittor of the future. Right now their rudimentary findings are primitive and far from workable. They are able to distinguish, for example, the difference between a subject thinking of the vowel sound "aah" and the sound "ooh" by reading the brain wave signals of each imagined sound.

Their hope is to develop this primitive speech/thought recognition technology into something capable of deciphering complex, rapid human thought in real time, and to come up with a transmitting technology that would process that unspoken speech into an earpiece or heads-up display worn by another person. All of that has great potential advantage for the military, which explains why the Pentagon has agreed to fund the $6.3 million dollar project's initial studies. This technology would be a godsend for victims of paralysis who are unable to communicate with others, as well as for the control of prosthetic limbs for ampututation patients. My concern (conspiracy theory, coming right up...) is that it could also be used (if one accepts the hypothetical end result of complete success for such mind-reading technology) to read the thoughts of even an unwilling subject. No more need for water-boarding a suspected terrorist. Simply strap a synthetic telepathy helmet on that person and ask him whatever questions you want him to think about. His thought will not be hidden, they'll be instantly available for examination. No need to swear in a witness on the stand in a court of law, just ask them if they're willing to put on a Truth Hat for a few questions...
The potential for incredible advancements in mental telepathy are worth this miniscule investment, if for nothing more than the medical strides we could make with those results. But I believe we need to keep an eye on the potential for abuses of our Constitutional protections, as well. It's too early in the process to worry about such things now, but those concerns should be kept in mind as this study progresses."

http://squatlo-rant.blogspot.com/2011/03/military-studies-possibility-of.html