Now on ScienceBlogs: The Lights Stay On Inside a Black Hole!

Seed Media Group

Collective Imagination

Profile

me_w.jpg
I'm a neuroscientist by training and a writer by inclination Contact me

rss2-1.png


Follow me on Twitter
Get e-mail updates

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Search


Selected posts

Books


wishlist.gif


My photos

www.flickr.com

Rotating blogroll

(Complete list/Shared items)

Archives

« Down memory lane | Main | Weekend photoblogging »

Microsoft wants to read your mind

Category: NeuroscienceTechnology
Posted on: October 21, 2007 9:30 AM, by Mo

Researchers from the Microsoft Corporation recently filed an application for a patent for a brain-computer interface that can "classify brain states".

They say that the device is needed to obtain accurate feedback about the effectiveness of computer-user interfaces, because the conventional way of  getting this information - by interview - is often unreliable.

To me this sounds a bit like the overblown claims that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to determine whether an individual is lying or telling the truth. Except that this seems like an even bigger exaggeration.

Share this: Stumbleupon Reddit Email + More

Trackbacks

Trackback URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/53489

Comments (2)

1

I've been waiting to have a bioport installed ever since I saw that Cronenberg film eXistenZ. But, wait, Microsoft wouldn't possibly use this technology for evil would they?

Posted by: Eric | October 21, 2007 10:05 AM

2

I agree with you that FMRI data and what they tell us about brain states are often overblown. People in the field are still trying to understand exactly what is behind the FMRI signal, biologically speaking, and its correlation with neuronal activity.

Posted by: Sonia Mansour-Robaey | October 23, 2007 8:49 AM

Post a Comment

(Email is required for authentication purposes only. On some blogs, comments are moderated for spam, so your comment may not appear immediately.)

ScienceBlogs

Search ScienceBlogs:

Go to:

Advertisement
Enter to win a free copy of The Monty Hall Problem
Visit the Collective Imagination blog
Advertisement
Collective Imagination

© 2006-2009 Seed Media Group LLC. ScienceBlogs is a registered trademark of Seed Media Group. All rights reserved.

Sites by Seed Media Group: Seed Media Group | ScienceBlogs | SEEDMAGAZINE.COM