Brain Scans Reveal What You've Seen

Brain Scans Reveal What You've Seen

www.wired.com

To construct their model, the researchers used an fMRI machine, which measures blood flow through the brain, to track neural activity in three people as they looked at pictures of everyday settings and objects.

As in the earlier study, they looked at parts of the brain linked to the shape of objects. Unlike before, they looked at regions whose activity correlates with general classifications, such as “buildings” or “small groups of people."

(visit the link for the full news article)

The prospect of thought controlled computers is fascinating but there's a darker side here which is potentially troubling. Though it sounds like you could beat the system if you tried, you could simply think of random places and ideas and thwart unwanted eavesdroppers.

It also mentions reading dreams, which is incredible.



www.wired.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 9/25/2009 by ZombieOctopus]

Pretty worrying, if you ask me.

Who's to say they can't send something into space, and use it to read our minds without us knowing - therefore always staying one step ahead.

Pretty soon, the police won't have to question you, they'll just get a warrant and scan your brain.

Tin foil hatz!! zOMg!!

We were right all along

Hmm one thing i find odd is how do they know the data they are collecting isnt the brain activity for looking at every day objects in a picture form... actually looking at the real 3d object might generate completely different brain activity.

ie they can read if youve recently looked at a picture of a building... but they dont know if youve actually looked at the actual building.

Its probably exactly the same really but given how the brain is, its probably got a set of systems for interpreting abstract (ie 2d) representations of 3d objects rather than the 3d perceiving parts also working on interpreting 2d representations of the same object.

Granted they cant do that really until they have a helmet version of a MRI so they can get people out in the real world... which i dont believe they have yet.

Kinda ominous all the same... guess its just a matter of personal perspective.

reply to post by ZombieOctopus


I'm curious as to when these will be added as evidence in court trials along with polygraphs and voice stress analysis.

If a persons reactions with using some type of mind control, these people wouldn't stand a chance. They may even go as far as to manipulate the mind to confess, even for something they hadn't done.

There's been stories of people predisposed to commit certain types of crimes just by their personality and dna.

Than again, there are also many people who shouldn't have kids anyway.

reply to post by aleon1018


We're not there yet. I suppose some day we will be. I hope we have the wisdom to deal with it. This seems more than dangerous, it seems this road leads to something even worse ... a painful status quo of social evolution - constrained by artifacts.

reply to post by Wildbob77


At least we wouldn't have to worry about all this waterboarding drama anymore!

Conjures up Orwellian images of mind control beyond our wildest paranoid imaginings.

I can't really think of a socially desirable use for such technology.

Is to think about strangling someone the same as strangling them? I say no. It's whether and how a person acts on their thoughts, not the thought itself.

Might have some use in learning to control one's impulses, maybe, but that would have to be monitored by someone of utmost integrity.

But I guess you could use a person's "forbidden" thoughts against them, in court for example, or even at work or school or etc. if the technology were further developed.



[edit on 25-9-2009 by Sestias]

this is very disturbing.