In a groundbreaking development, scientists at the University of Technology in Sydney have unveiled the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) program capable of reading thoughts. This innovative technology interprets brainwaves into readable text through a helmet equipped with sensors that monitor specific electrical activity in the brain while the wearer is thinking, effectively transforming thoughts into words.
The researchers believe that this advancement could revolutionize the care of patients who have lost the ability to speak due to conditions like stroke or paralysis. A demonstration video shows a person contemplating a displayed sentence on a screen, with the AI model providing impressively accurate results by decoding the thought process.
Beyond its potential in healthcare, the team anticipates that this innovation could enable seamless control of various devices, including electronic limbs and robots. This would allow individuals to convey instructions simply by thinking about them.
Lead researcher Professor C.T. Lim remarked, “This research signifies a pioneering effort in directly translating raw EEG signals into language.”
Unlike previous methods that required surgical procedures to implant electrodes in the brain or the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the new technology employs a straightforward head-mounted helmet to read a person’s thoughts.
To test the technology, Lim and his team conducted experiments with 29 participants who were presented with a sentence or phrase on the screen. The participants had to think about reading it, and the AI model then presented its translation of their brainwaves.
While the current translation accuracy stands at approximately 40%, the researchers are actively working to improve this rate, aiming for an impressive 90% accuracy. This development showcases the promising potential of AI in understanding and interpreting human thoughts.
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