Facebook is building brain-computer interfaces for typing and skin-hearing

Today at F8, Facebook revealed it has a team of 60 engineers working on building a brain-computer interface that will let you type with just your mind without invasive implants. The team plans to use optical imaging to scan your brain a hundred times per second to detect you speaking silently in your head, and translate it into text.

Regina Dugan, the head of Facebook’s R&D division Building 8, explained to conference attendees that the goal is to eventually allow people to type at 100 words per minute, 5X faster than typing on a phone, with just your mind.

Eventually, brain-computer interfaces could let people control augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with their mind instead of a screen or controller. Facebook’s CEO and CTO teased these details of this “direct brain interface” technology over the last two days at F8

And skin hearing?

Skin-Hearing

Meanwhile, Building 8 is working on a way for humans to hear through their skin. It’s been building prototypes of hardware and software that let your skin mimic the cochlea in your ear that translates sound into specific frequencies for your brain. This technology could let deaf people essentially “hear” by bypassing their ears.

techcrunch.com...

While the skin hearing thing sounds pretty cool and may be able to help some people with disabilities, the brain interface being worked on raises some questions in my mind.

How long before we see optical scanning devices in use by police or other agencies that can read what you are thinking just by scanning your head as you walk by?

Or maybe one day they could be installed in streetlights and know what everyone that passes is thinking?

The real thought police.

And skin hearing? Skin-Hearing Meanwhile, Building 8 is working on a way for humans to hear through their skin. It’s been building prototypes of hardware and software that let your skin mimic the cochlea in your ear that translates sound into specific frequencies for your brain. This technology could let deaf people essentially “hear” by bypassing their ears.

LOL that sh*t is crazy, I'll stick to my ears, thanks.

How ever, if they can get it to work that would make my day for all the deaf that would be able to hear.

God Bless, and good luck FB

originally posted by: slapjacks

And skin hearing? Skin-Hearing Meanwhile, Building 8 is working on a way for humans to hear through their skin. It’s been building prototypes of hardware and software that let your skin mimic the cochlea in your ear that translates sound into specific frequencies for your brain. This technology could let deaf people essentially “hear” by bypassing their ears.

LOL that sh*t is crazy, I'll stick to my ears, thanks.

How ever, if they can get it to work that would make my day for all the deaf that would be able to hear.

God Bless, and good luck FB

I hope it comes with a mute button

Would definetly lead into the possibility of "Thought Crime".

A double-edged blade, as it could lead to some truly innovative tech, on the other hand it could lead to some serious government control, and control.

If government/business was truly benevolent, I wouldn't worry.

How long before we see optical scanning devices in use by police or other agencies that can read what you are thinking just by scanning your head as you walk by?

They've already begun that.

My little brother flew in from Houston for Easter weekend, at the airport he was asked if he would like to try something new. He obviously obliged because it got him to the front of the line. They scanned his eyes and both hands and just walked right through. It's called clear. Check it out Clear

originally posted by: slapjacks

How long before we see optical scanning devices in use by police or other agencies that can read what you are thinking just by scanning your head as you walk by?

They've already begun that.

My little brother flew in from Houston for Easter weekend, at the airport he was asked if he would like to try something new. He obviously obliged because it got him to the front of the line. They scanned his eyes and both hands and just walked right through. It's called clear. Check it out Clear

Clear and the various other programs like it are rather dubious. Makes me think of "Pay to play" type setups. Clear costs $175 to join, the TSA's version lets you skip the shoe removal, and such.

By paying, your saying your an honest customer, or so they believe.

Basically your paying extra to line-cut.

originally posted by: slapjacks

How long before we see optical scanning devices in use by police or other agencies that can read what you are thinking just by scanning your head as you walk by?

They've already begun that.

My little brother flew in from Houston for Easter weekend, at the airport he was asked if he would like to try something new. He obviously obliged because it got him to the front of the line. They scanned his eyes and both hands and just walked right through. It's called clear. Check it out Clear

That's crazy. It wouldn't surprise me if soon your retinas and fingerprints will be scanned while waiting in line without you even knowing it.

There is something creepy about the thought of letting anything Facebook affiliated just scan my brain to see what I'm thinking for any reason.

a reply to: underwerks

Now that is incredible...and potentially incredibly incriminating.
Especially for a dude like me, with a very limited Filter...even at work, wow...id get in some trouble real quick

originally posted by: Cygnis
Would definetly lead into the possibility of "Thought Crime".

A double-edged blade, as it could lead to some truly innovative tech, on the other hand it could lead to some serious government control, and control.

If government/business was truly benevolent, I wouldn't worry.

The bad things that are possible with this type of technology outweigh the positives in my opinion. To me it isn't worth basically having a wiretap on your thoughts to have better control of whatever device you're typing on.

And as technology advances, that's where the danger comes into play. It opens up so many bad possibilities in my mind.

a reply to: underwerks

I don't have a fb acc. and I feel even prouder about that now.
I hope that device glows and beeps so I can spot idiots.

I could see something like this in the future being installed all around us, as ever present as WiFi, you just have to pay for a subscription to be able to "tap" into it. Instant thought control of all your devices.

And I'm sure they'd "promise" not to listen in on non-subscribers.

It's all in how you perceive it, I imagine. I've always been one to turn off almost all tracking / cookies, etc. I'm sure there will be ways to do this in the current tech too.. Or perhaps create sudo accounts, etc.

Will make status updates much more interesting, and socially awkward..

"Wow, stacy's mom........"

"Just saw xyz, I'm breathing hard".

and so on..

a reply to: underwerks

Oh nooooooooo. Bad fookin' idea!

When I type, i do so after deleting what I really want to say about 4 times. You don't want to go straight to my brain and let it type what it's thinking. Nooooo wayyyy. Bad idea.

Seriously thinking about double layering my tinfoil hat now mmmmmm

I've been asking for a neural keyboard for 25 years, and it's facebook that is finally going to make it?


I wish I hadn't wished in the first place.

Interesting and scary at the same time.Hackers would have a field day with this kind of thing.

On the skin hearing, the article didn't mention him, but Dr. Pat Flanagan started experimenting with this in the late 50's.The Neurophone.I wonder if they tried to get him on board with it, I think he ran into issues with his patents...

a reply to: dffrntkndfnml

This is totally different

a reply to: underwerks

Will be just another way to feed up spam crap on those useless sheep.

a reply to: underwerks

Yes, good idea, its the only way anyway to handle the ever increasing complexity of ones own computing device. For example you have terrabytes of files and directories and you wanna go to a particular file? Would be nice then to have mind control of ones computer, and go immediately to that file and open it with the right app.