Figuring out the way the human brain understands and processes speech could be a huge step forward in helping nonverbal people communicate. Scientists have already made progress toward that goal in a study that analyzed the neural activity of 15 people undergoing surgery for epilepsy treatment or brain tumors. The patients wore electrodes that recorded their brain activity when listening to spoken words. Later, the team studied which types of brain activity correlated with aspects of speech like frequency and rhythm. With this data and some specialized software, they were able to reconstruct some of the sounds the patients heard.

Now, a new study measured the neural activity of patients reading words aloud and reading silently to themselves. Again, the researchers used the neural activity to pinpoint which areas of the brain were stimulated by reading the words aloud . Using this road map of sorts, they were able to decode which areas of the brain were active when reading the same words silently. Although the brain patterns differed somewhat between spoken words and internal words, the researchers were still able to reproduce some of the words the patients read to themselves. They could, in effect, kind of read the patients’ minds sometimes.

If the same type of road map were to be constructed for nonverbal people, the initial neural activity measured would have to come from speech that the patient hears, not their own speech. But according to the researchers, this should be easy enough to accomplish – as easy as figuring out how to read a mind can be, anyway. From there, measuring the neural activity of the nonverbal person could allow researchers to understand what that person is thinking.

The research results have been promising, but they are nowhere near advanced enough to build a device to do the decoding (hence our amusing depictions of mind reading helmets). Other types of brain activity still need to be decoded, and algorithms need to be fine-tuned, but we are ever inching closer to the goal of reading each other’s minds. Time to break out the tin-foil hats?

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Our smartphones, computers, smart watches, and all of the other electronics we’re surrounded with daily are indisputably helpful. But they also cause an effect that we probably didn’t anticipate at the beginning of the technology age: technology overload. You know the feeling you get when you find yourself picking up your phone out of habit, then you’re not sure why you’re holding it? The separation anxiety you feel when you can’t check your email? The complete horror that wells up inside of you when your internet service is down for a few hours? That’s a bona fide tech addiction, and a surprising number of us are afflicted with it.

Greater Than is a concept from marketing and design company Code and Theory. It was developed in response to a request from Co.Design to come up with a wearable device that moves beyond the current generation of smart watches and other wearables we suddenly find ourselves immersed in. The small object starts out looking like a stick made of rubber and aluminum. Its shape, according to Code and Theory, is reminiscent of a candy bar to symbolize its ability to provide “a moment of indulgence.”

When you feel yourself getting a bit overwhelmed by the world around you, you twist the top portion of the bar until it forms a right angle (tipped to the side, it forms a “>” or “greater than” sign). The device fits on your ear, where only the rubber portion actually touches your skin. It isn’t overly designed, and it certainly doesn’t try to blend in or disappear into your physiology. It’s a statement piece that tells other people you’re taking a break from them and everything else for a few minutes.

But what does the odd object actually do? The device contains a tiny EEG sensor that measures your brainwaves and a bone-conduction speaker plays an appropriate music loop to bring your mind to a calm state. The sounds are meant to induce theta brain rhythms, those deliciously meditative brainwaves that occur when you are exceptionally relaxed or drowsy. Greater Than is meant to be worn for just a few minutes at a time, in contrast to our other gadgets which we are expected to have attached to our bodies at all times. When you’ve had your 10 to 30 minutes of velvety deep-brain relaxation, the device twists back into a stick and charges in a cup on your desk, getting ready for the next time your brain needs a micro-vacation.

(via: Co.Design)

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The human brain is a pretty amazing thing. It can fill in the blanks when needed information is missing, and if something doesn’t seem quite right the brain does everything it can to hold onto what it perceives as reality. The Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands is playing with the brain’s powers of perception with an installation called Brain Trip.

The installation has the museum visitor put on a brainwave-reading headband. The headband uses electroencephalography (EEG) to determine how focused or relaxed the viewer is. As the viewer watches a screen, he or she is taken from the world of reality into a world of incredible surrealism.

The more focused the viewer is, the more their experience remains anchored in reality. As he or she relaxes, the scenes become more and more bizarre. The process is tiring, and eventually the brain gets too tired to carry on with the extreme surrealism no matter how relaxed the viewer is. At that point, the display informs the viewer that it is time to surrender to the surreal world. After the experience, viewers can see a report of their brain activity during the display and find out how much of the time their brain was focused and how much of the time it spent relaxed.

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It’s great to capture all of your life’s adventures, but carrying around a camera often interferes with your enjoyment of the moment. The Neurocam is a brainwave-reading camera that detects when you are interested in something and snaps a picture.

The algorithm used to detect when a person likes or feels interested in something was developed by Professor Mitsukura of Keio University. He worked with Neurowear, the same company that invented the brainwave-controlled kitty ears and wagging tail. The user’s interest is measured on a scale from 0 to 100; whenever the interest level reaches at least 60, the camera records five-second GIF clips.

This whole process happens without any effort on the user’s part. They simply have to wear the kind of awkward head gear and look around to see what interesting things are nearby. The Neurocam can be turned to manual mode, allowing the camera’functioned to be triggered without the need for shutter buttons.

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Concentration is something not typically easy for one to access. The surrounding environment, personal affects and situations are a regular menace to your concentration. Now you can monitor your brain activity to find out when you’re most alert.

Melon, a headband invented by two people and funded their Kickstarter campaign, gauges your brainwaves through electroencephalography, or EEG. It connects to your mobile phone or tablet and, through an app, shows you when you’re most prone to concentrate.

According to their Kickstarter page, Melon can be worn in a variety of situations – working, playing, studying, dancing – in short, whenever. No more fiddling around taping those annoying brain electrodes to your melon….thanks to Melon.

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