Posted on 12/12/2008 9:57:49 AM PST by LibWhacker
Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.
The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, the researchers first mapped the blood flow changes that occurred in the cerebral visual cortex as subjects viewed various images held in front of their eyes. Subjects were shown 400 random 10 x 10 pixel black-and-white images for a period of 12 seconds each. While the fMRI machine monitored the changes in brain activity, a computer crunched the data and learned to associate the various changes in brain activity with the different image designs.
Then, when the test subjects were shown a completely new set of images, such as the letters N-E-U-R-O-N, the system was able to reconstruct and display what the test subjects were viewing based solely on their brain activity.
For now, the system is only able to reproduce simple black-and-white images. But Dr. Kang Cheng, a researcher from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, suggests that improving the measurement accuracy will make it possible to reproduce images in color.
“These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity,” says Dr. Cheng. “In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person’s thoughts with some degree of accuracy.”
The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design — particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist’s head. The technology might also lead to new treatments for conditions such as psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, by providing doctors a direct window into the mind of the patient.
ATR chief researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani says, “This technology can also be applied to senses other than vision. In the future, it may also become possible to read feelings and complicated emotional states.”
The research results appear in the December 11 issue of US science journal Neuron.
Oh GOOD! I have this image of Helen Thomas. I wish they’d extract it and destroy it!
Tech ping
That's disgusting!!! You should be ashamed of yourself.
Geeze, Monkeys??!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHHHH.
Ugh. I think I’m going to log off and go to work now.
I’ve often wondered if the time would come when they could play back dreams.
Dreams are fascinating things.
I’ve had plenty of weird dreams that never made any sense and I couldn’t
imagine where such thoughts came from, or why.
Most likely they are looking at current images as formed from direct sensory input. They might be able to image output motor images such as finger position in piano playing, but only with very powerful musicians. Will they ever image propositional statements? Would think not.
dare I ask that you share? :-P
I was thinking about how cool it’d be to hook up witnesses to a crime to get a good look at the perp... Or hook up a [still living] terrorist to get a look at all his contacts and all the places he had been for the last few months before he committed the crime. You might even be able to use it as a lie detector... If the image he’s describing is nonexistent or not clear enough, you might be able to tell he was lying, etc. The possibilities are staggering.
“no longer have to keep dream diaries on their nightstands; Now they’ll just have to TiVo themselves.”
Ghastly thought! For the last few years my dreams have dealt with redecorating large, even endless rooms, and lately I’ve branched out into doing household chores, such as dishwashing (by hand!)and vacuuming. It’s horrible! Horrible, I tell you!
Methink the same thing. My new favorite show.
Allow me to introduce you to my dishwashers:
Not a dirty plate in the house.
you ‘freepdotted’ the source..
(the website crashed)
A machine that purports to understand women??? That's just plain science fiction there.
It’s working fine for me.
If you’ve been married ten years or more, your wife knows exactly what you are thinking 90% of the day and 95% of the night. Start sleeping in the guest room and stop talking to her if you want privacy.
Yeah, I’ve been married over 30 years and she has me over her knee when it comes to thought processes.
ok... NOW can i put on the tinfoil hat??
Just what the World needs, a mind-reading machine. Big Brother never had one of those.
The possibilities for abuse are staggering too.
Sometime, over 15 years ago, researchers were able to record cats’ neural activity through their optic nerve and recreate what the cats were seeing.
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