Human thought is mysterious and limitless. Until today, the idea — the ability to read a person’s thoughts — was found only in science fiction works, but now it is being tested in real research. Stanford University scientists for the first time managed to decode human inner speech, that is, thoughts directed to oneself, with the help of special technology. This was reported in an article published in the journal Cell.
The study used a new method based on a brain-computer interface. It analyzes neural activity signals and converts them into text. It is noted that this system is capable of revealing a person’s intentions and inner speech with an accuracy of up to 74 percent.
Four patients with severe paralysis took part in the experiment. Microelectrode implants were placed in the part of the brain that controls speech function. As a result, the device was able to transform into text with high accuracy the words that patients wanted to pronounce or only thought mentally. Scientists also emphasized that the system can decode sequences of numbers generated during simple calculations.
The safety aspects were also not ignored. To ensure confidentiality, the device can be activated only with a special “mental password.” This method demonstrated more than 98 percent accuracy.
According to specialists, this technology is not yet ready for full practical application. However, in the future it may open almost complete communication opportunities for people with speech impairments or severe illnesses. Scientists plan to continue work in this direction and further improve the system.
Thus, science once again provided the opportunity to look into the deepest layers of human consciousness. Today the idea that seemed like fiction may tomorrow open an entirely new era of communication.
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