Forget the battlefield radios, the combat PDAs or even infantry hand signals. When the soldiers of the future want to communicate, they’ll read each other’s minds.
At least, that’s the hope of researchers at the Pentagon’s mad-science division Darpa. The agency’s budget for the next fiscal year includes $4 million to start up a program called Silent Talk. The goal is to “allow user-to-user communication on the battlefield without the use of vocalized speech through analysis of neural signals.” That’s on top of the $4 million the Army handed out last year to the University of California to investigate the potential for computer-mediated telepathy.
Before being vocalized, speech exists as word-specific neural signals in the mind. Darpa wants to develop technology that would detect these signals of “pre-speech,” analyze them, and then transmit the statement to an intended interlocutor. Darpa plans to use EEG to read the brain waves. It’s a technique they’re also testing in a project to devise mind-reading binoculars that alert soldiers to threats faster the conscious mind can process them.
The military has been funding a handful of mind-tapping technology recently, and already have monkeys capable of telepathic limb control. Telepathy may also have advantages beyond covert battlefield chatter. Last year, the National Research Council and the Defense Intelligence Agency released a report suggesting that neuroscience might also be useful to “make the enemy obey our commands.” The first step, though, may be getting a grunt to obey his officer’s remotely-transmitted thoughts.
Nothing new here… move along.
So the question becomes: Was it the Russians or the Chinese (or both) that are rumored to already have these programs?
Hey guys, RTFA. This is actually hard-science based. They are using recent advances in brain activity capture and analysis to potentially create something like a “smart helmet” lined with sensors that pick up the soldier’s brain activity to enable real-time voice-free comms between troops in the field.
No comment necessary, then know what I am thinking.
#2 It is “hard-science based”, but if it was a practical science, private funding would be fighting each other create something they could milk the DoD with.
#2 It is “hard-science based”, but if it was a practical science, private funding would be fighting each other create something they could milk the DoD with.
BTW
Jimmy Kimmel had a skit about the smart helmet, and I believe GMA covered it this morning.
At least it is more plausible than “astral travel” that the spooks researched in the 60’s & 70’s.
In Soviet Russia, giant brain control you.
So what about the possibility of having the RF (I need to read details in article) getting intercepted?
J/P=?
It is extemely likely that implants can be used to pick up nerve signals and transmit them some distance but this is only going to amount to a limited advance over using your cell phone in that it takes the phone out of the hand and puts it in the person.
The down side is fixing a hardware failure means you have to bleed.
Of course you can most likely do it through the skin but then we already have other systems that work for people without handicaps. Only the other hand it should be great for controling replacement limbs.
Better hope that men thinking about sex every 7 seconds doesn’t interfere with the transmissions. What’s on YOUR mind private?!
Hokus Poke-us.
This is going to cause a rush on tin-foil hats.
Ah yes, I am Carnac the Magnificent, divining answer to Pentagon’s difficult questions.
Now please I must have absolute silence, no thinking…
I see the answer is:: The ZIP Code.
I am opening the envolope
What do DoD agents have to remember to go to the bathroom?
It may sound trite in the current financial times but $4 million is only enough to keep a few professors, some college TA’s, and some college adminstrators busy for a couple of years of study. This is more like a college grant than a true military research program. Don’t expect any meaningful results.
That money will get burned up fast paying for equipment, scholarships, tuition, salaries, administrative costs, oversight, accounting, etc.
However, research is cheap when compared to the cost of implementation. But, hey, the government has billions of $$$ to give away and every professor in the country is looking for a grant.
I am sure half of the $4 million will be used in order to lobby Congress for even more research funds. You get a grant and then give half of it back to the politicians as election campaign donations. Unfortunately, this is the way global warming research gestated.
When the government’s right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing (Low fly over NYC photo op), then this program will fail as well.
Especially when the right lobe won’t know what the left lobe is doing.
Cursor_
Bah, as if we all had the same brain made in IBM. At best they maybe able to sucessfully detect emotional states. Might be useful for those hi-tech soldiers with helmets that have HUD’s. They could tell for example when they have a scared rookie behind them. Send him to do point so he doesn’t shoot his buddies in the back. Ain’t technology grand!
sounds like they need to legalize some
prior “ethically challenged” research
practices.
either that, or they figured out that the best alien tech is controlled/powered with the Power of Thought..
-s