This document discusses emerging technologies in thought control and brain-computer interfaces. It begins by noting how imagination and accomplishment are becoming closely aligned due to advances in technology. Examples are then given of existing thought-controlled wheelchairs and a robotic arm that allows a paralyzed woman to feed herself. The document outlines challenges in developing more advanced brain-computer interfaces, such as creating smaller and more sensitive hardware to communicate with the brain and software to accurately decode electrical signals. Finally, the document speculates that in 50 years human minds may be as connected as computers are today through the internet, but raises ethical questions about thought control of other individuals.

1. Thought Control
Technology Forecast 2013
Calcutta : September 26
Prithwis Mukerjee, PhD
Praxis Business School, Calcutta

2. From Forecasts to Reality
❖ Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world.
Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to
themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on
unreasonable people. - GBS
❖ But those who can visualise a new reality are vastly
outnumbered by those who cannot
❖ The gap between what can be imagined and what can
be accomplished has never been smaller
➢ we can now walk backward from our imagination
rather than walk forward from the existing past

3. 1977 : Firefox : Science Fiction
A military thriller about
a thought controlled
Russian aircraft that
was hijacked by an
ace American pilot
who had the unique
ability to “think” in
Russian and hence
could command the
aircraft to fly and fight

4. Thought Controlled WheelChairs
When we perform a physical action,
neurons in the brain generate minute
electric signals that travel along
nerves till they reach the right area of
the body where motor neurons
activate the necessary muscles to
complete the action.
In the case of neuromuscular disease
the signals are still being sent, but
the body cannot translate them into
actual muscle action.
This problem is solved by
intercepting signals from the brain
and sending them to the wheelchair.

5. Paraplegic uses mind-controlled robotic
arm to feed herself
A quadriplegic woman,
who hasn’t been able to
use her arms, legs, or
any muscles below her
neck for nine years, has
used a mind-controlled
robotic arm to perform
actions with an
unprecedented level of
dexterity that
approaches the human
arm

6. Thought Controlled Games
see more such movies at http://www.emotiv.com
8 Mind-blowing Gadgets You Can
Control Just With Your Brain

7. Simple in Concept

8. Devil is in the Detail
Hardware
Software
● That pick up
● algorithms that can
electrical signals
decide which signal
from the brain
to use, decode its
without impacting
meaning.
health and
convenience of user
Bio Medical
Engineering
Data
Analytics

9. The Next Step

10. Man moves rat tail with thoughts
a Harvard Medical
School research team
has whipped up a way
for a human brain to
control a rat's brain.
This so-called brain-tobrain interface enables
a human subject to
move a rat's tail
without getting wires
plugged into her head.

12. Brain-to-Brain Contact in Humans

13. The WWW had humble beginnings !
One of the first computer networking successes
was in 1940, when George Stibitz used a
teletype machine (seen above) to send data to a
remote complex number calculator.

14. Looking Ahead
Technology can only
improve
● Smaller and more
sensitive devices to
communicate with
brain
● Smarter, better
software to trap
and decode signals
But what about the
ethical aspects ?
● Can a person
control another
persons thoughts,
actions, ideas ?
● Should he or she
be allowed to ?

15. Question for YOU, in the audience
Do you believe that in
the next 50 years,
human minds will be as
“connected” as today’s
computers are in the
world wide web ?
SMS “YES” or “NO” to me at 98310 xxxxx !
If you include your name and organisation, then I shall acknowledge your vote with a “thank you” :-)

16. Thank
You
Prithwis Mukerjee, PhD.,
Program Director, Business Analytics
Praxis Business School.
Calcutta.
prithwis@praxis.ac.in
prithwis@yantrajaal.com
blog.yantrajaal.com
this presentation is publicly accessible at http://bit.ly/pm-thoughtcontrol