FeatureUC&C15 Jun 2018 · 3 min read

Ever Wanted to Control Your Gadgets with Your Thoughts? Maybe You Can…

If the concept of Alexa listening to your conversations was enough to get you worrying about privacy, how do you feel about mind-reading AI?

Rebekah Carter

Have you ever wished you could control your smart TV with your mind? All you'd need to do is think about how much you want to watch the latest episode of something on Netflix and BAM! It would start playing. No need to actually speak up and use a voice-controlled assistant - and definitely no need to stand up and find your TV remote. Personally, this isn't a power I've ever wished for. I'd prefer the ability to fly or something like that, but if you want mind-controlled gadgets, then MIT Media Lab graduate Arnav Kapur has you covered.

Kapur has built a prototype of a device he calls "AlterEgo". Essentially, it's like a white remote thing that attaches to the side of your head and lets you change your smart bulbs, flip through tv channels, or order takeaway without saying a single word. According to the student, the device makes him feel like a "cyborg".

Does AlterEgo Really Read Minds?

So, does this little 3D-printed device really read your mind? Well, not exactly. If you know a little bit about biology and brainwaves, you'll know that your brain is constantly producing a bunch of electrical signals depending on what you do. Every thought you have sends tiny signals through your muscles - indicating your emotions or intended behaviour - no matter how great your poker face might be.

The AlterEgo is more of an "energy reader" than a mind reader. It gathers the signals that you're unconsciously sending and uses machine learning algorithms to decode those signals into commands like "Turn on the TV" or "Order a pepperoni pizza". At least, that's the idea. You might get a few pizzas delivered to your house accidentally, but that's not exactly something to complain about.

Does This Mean That Robots are More Dangerous Now?

For some people, the idea of being able to control gadgets seemingly with your mind will be a fantastic thing. For others, it's bound to raise goosebumps for an entirely different reason. If you belong to the camp of people who think that robots are going to take all our jobs and make us their lapdogs, then AlterEgo might make you even more nervous. After all, you don't want your robot overlord to be able to read your mind.

However, Kapur things that his device shows that AI can augment the human experience, rather than replace us entirely. He sees it as a new computer system that allows us to access information and complete tasks with as little manual input as possible. While the system is just in its early stages right now, he thinks it will be helpful for people with speech disorders or voice problems that need to communicate.

Researchers are already testing AlterEgo, and one study found that around 92% of the time, the system could accurately capture conversations between people silently and inconspicuously trying to communicate with each other.

Capable of More than Ordering Pizza

While the AlterEgo device can definitely help you to change channels in a hurry, it's real benefits appear in other areas. For instance, Kapur has announced that studies are being set up in various rehabilitation and medical centres where people with speech problems can try using the system for themselves. Of course, there are few glitches that will need to be worked out of the system before you'll have your own plastic mind-reader to play with.

Person-to-person communication features for the tool are particularly limited, and although the device can translate terms into a few phrases, it's only capable of understanding 15 phrases so far. To be fair, we haven't seen anything like this before, so Kapur hasn't had a lot of machine learning networks to tap into. As a fresh new concept, the AlterEgo is incredibly impressive. I'm interested to see where it goes from here.

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