It looks like you're trying to compose a thought
Would you like me to think it for you?
Microsoft patents brain-computer link
Microsoft has sent in a patent application where no patent application has gone before. It wants to own the rights to read your mind. More specifically, the firm says it wants to understand human computer interaction better, and has opted to read our minds. The psychic approach is the best option, the firm says, because …
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 11:18 GMT Alex
This could be the greatest leap forward since the invention of the keyboard!
I've got the good fortune to be trialing one of these devices! I must say its absolutly astonishing, to have the abilility to actually 'see' the words you are visualising takes a little, whats that out the window? time to master but it really is quite an, bloody salad for lunch! who eats salad for lunch? improvement over the traditional button bashing. In fact its quite a revelation, I can see this being the launchpad for a whole raft of exciting tech developments, things get real weird when you access your gmail!
I'll keep you all, I must have a shit, up to date with my progress!
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:29 GMT Anonymous Coward
It's trying to understand the failed Vista sales
MS can't simply understand why the world + dog didn't buy Vista. After all, it needed more hardware (new kit for everyone), it has fancy graphics (which has since long beaten functionality as a sales argument) and it had been marketed at a normally very docile and gullible public that would buy any product that had been shown on telly enough.
So, somewhere, something must have gone wrong, and it obviously isn't a fault with the product (it's Redmond we're talking about, not a sensible setup)..
-
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:36 GMT 3x2
Help required
I'm sure someone can explain this one to me.
Surely you are free to interpret data you have collected in any way you see fit using whatever method is appropriate for your study. Why do you need a patent?
a) determining brain states of interest;
b) collecting a set of labeled EEG data signals that include artifacts ("labeled EEG data");
c) dividing the labeled EEG data into overlapping time windows;
d) removing the time dimension from each time window;
e) generating features from the time windows; and
f) building the classifier model.
Just so I'm clear ....
(a+b) get some EEG data and decide if there is anything of interest, not forgetting to label it as "EEG data" so we don't forget
(c+d) look at the data from left to right or right to left or even as discrete sections
(e+f) find any features that may be of interest and classify them (presumably labeling them as "interesting")
And some people want this kind of patent to be valid in the EU??
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:36 GMT Anonymous Coward
oh dear
You know how Microsoft often suggests or corrects words that you type? Well the next step with this could be:- are you thinking in American English? or international English? (how about English English?), then " I'm sorry but the thoughts you are thinking contravene our .................Policy (insert diversity, equal opportunity, political movement of the day) and as result we have informed.........(insert.. your employers, the local constabulary, thought police) and you are scheduled now for testing and re-education.
or how about your annual assessment?
"Well Mr Tuttle, we have found that most of your thoughts are about football, drink, women, last night, etc, and not about work! no pay rise for you then"
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:36 GMT Senor Beavis
Noise filtering
When I'm sat in yet another boring office meeting, transcribing the minutes via my Brainware on to a projected screen, it will be a little embarrassing if my mind wanders along the lines of:
"Hmm, I've not seen that bird from HR before. I bet she shags like minx..."
That or:
"Head of Marketing. KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL"
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:53 GMT Karl Lattimer
Somebody give Alex a prize
That is the most original comedic comment I've ever seen on el reg. I think you lot at the reg should not only publish that comment in the weekly comment round up, but also give him a prize for such a brilliant piece of writing.
I think a fair prize for such brilliance would be, a reg T-Shirt and a boxed copy of windows XP so he can keep vista at bay.
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:53 GMT Senor Beavis
Noise filtering
When I'm sat in yet another boring office meeting, transcribing the minutes via my Brainware on to a projected screen, it will be a little embarrassing if my mind wanders along the lines of:
"Hmm, I've not seen that bird from HR before. I bet she shags like minx..."
That or:
"Head of Marketing. KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL"
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 12:56 GMT John Angelico
Caution: waste matching Mars exploration project...
Sad that those American cousins over on the west coast have to waste all this time, effort and money on a fruitless exercise.
Those of us close enough to Ol' Blighty to enjoy the verbal peregrinations of the Goon Show will instantly recall one of those famous lines delivered impeccably by Bill:
"Beware of thinking! It's ALL IN THE MIND, YOU KNOW!"
-
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 18:02 GMT Mike Moyle
Things to think about...
...before MS can see you doing it...
1 - Another thumbs up for Alex...
2 - Were I the suspicious and cynical sort of individual (which, of course, I'm not!) I might suspect that this is a pre-emptive attempt at patenting the underpinnings of a non-verbal/non-mechanical (mouse, keyboerd) computer interface for the disabled, and possibly being applicable to a neural interface as is being mooted for things like artificial eyes and direct control of artificial limbs. That is to say, any attempt to read brainwaves to control a computerized adjunct would require paying a license fee to M$.
2a -
"To Professor Kevin Warwick [aka Captain Cyborg]
"Reading University
"Dear Professor Warwick:
"It has come to our attention that you are in violation of Microsoft Corporation's Intellectual Property; to wit: U.S. Patent Number nnnnnnn regarding a method and technique for human-computer interface. You are required to cease and desist this infringement immediately, or..."
...so it might not be ALL downside...
3 - Re: "Plugging the analog hole"
...I'm sorry, but that sounds painful...
...and messy...
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 19:17 GMT OpenSorce Phreak
Bluescreens anyone?
Hmm.... "Tell me how you feel about-" *close pop-up* "Tell me how you-" *close pop-up*
Would they be called "Visualize-Ups"? And what about the spyware... Hmm... Then I could log what I was thiking for future reference when the girlfriend claims i didn't hear what she said...
Well, hopefully it will go better than their "Speech Recognition" built into Vista...
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&fg=copy&vid=851C886E-92AC-40DF-9B54-A89F0AA68BC1
"We are sorry... We have detected that you must install the "Genuine Advantage" patch before we can verify your brain is authentic..."
-
Tuesday 16th October 2007 23:26 GMT Anonymous Coward
@ LOL at "blue mind of death"
props to Alex; hysterical... However, when pondering how I badly I would function in a similar situation: In the conference room, with lots of veeep's and other such impotent people, the screen would probably read:
Revenue is up, Bob (my boss) you're a douche bag... as for the rest of this sorry ass collage of idiots, rejects and morons, F-you, and you, and you and you and you and you; you're just schmuck and you're conclusive proof of what the end result is when brother and sister procreate... I don't know what the F your problems but I bet it's damn hard to pronounce... Whose ass do I have to kiss to get fired or promoted?
-
Wednesday 17th October 2007 06:39 GMT Steve Roper
Prior art exists - no patent
The military has had brain-control interfaces in aircraft for some time now. The Japanese have been working on mind-machine interfaces for years, so I'm sure somebody can come up with some prior art to scotch this tosh. The only reason MS is doing this is so they can put the kibosh on the Linux/OSS community when they develop this sort of thing, and for no other reason. So let's see some action from the likes of Matsushita and Hitachi to bury this shit now.
Balls-up Ballmer deserves public execution, no less.
This topic is closed for new posts.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
