Facebook Reveals It's Working on Brain-to-Text Technology That Can Read Minds

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 20 April 2017 09:49 IST
Highlights
  • Facebook wants users to use their minds to type messages
  • Creating "silent-speech interfaces" based on sensors that could be worn
  • Such technology could let people fire off messages by thinking
Facebook Reveals It's Working on Brain-to-Text Technology That Can Read Minds

Facebook wants to read your mind.

At least, when it comes to what you'd like to say or type.

The social network giant, at its annual developers conference, unveiled Wednesday projects aimed at allowing users to use their minds to type messages or their skin to hear words.

"Speech is essentially a compression algorithm, and a lousy one at that," Facebook executive and former DARPA director Regina Dugan told a packed audience at the Silicon Valley event.

Advertisement

"That is why we love great writers and poets, because they are just a little bit better at compressing the fullness of a thought into words. What if we could type directly from our brain into a computer?"

The project grew from being an idea six months ago to being the focus of a team of more than 60 scientists, engineers, and system integrators, according to Dugan, who heads a Building 8 team devoted to coming up with innovative hardware for the social network's mission of connecting the world.

Advertisement

"We are just getting started," Dugan said.

"We have a goal of creating a system capable of typing 100 words-per-minute straight from your brain."

Advertisement

Cutting out implants
Video played during her presentation showed a woman with an advanced neurodegenerative disease using her mind to move a cursor on a computer screen, slowly typing words.

Such brain-computer interface technology currently involves implanting electrodes, but Facebook wants to use optical imaging to eliminate the need to surgically intrude on brains, according to Dugan.

Facebook is looking at creating "silent-speech interfaces" based on sensors that could be worn, and made in quantity.

"We are not talking about decoding your random thoughts; that is more than many of us want to know," Dugan quipped.

"We are talking about thoughts you want to share. Words you have decided to send to the speech center of the brain."

Such technology could let people fire off text messages or emails by thinking, instead of needing to interrupt what they are doing to use smartphone touchscreens, for example.

It would also have the potential to capture concepts and semantics associated with words people are thinking, making language differences irrelevant by enabling sharing of what is in mind, Dugan said.

"Unlike other approaches, ours will be focused on developing a noninvasive system that could one day become a speech prosthetic for people with communication disorders or a new means for input to AR," Dugan said in a post on her Facebook page, referring to augmented reality.

"Even something as simple as a 'yes/no' brain click, or a 'brain mouse' would be transformative."

Feeling words
The Building 8 group is also working on sensors that let people "hear" through their skin, with what they feel being converted into words in a variation on how the ear turns vibrations into comprehensible sounds.

"Our brains have the ability to construct language from components," Dugan said.

"I suggest that one day, not so far away, it may be possible for me to think in Mandarin and for you to feel it instantly in Spanish."

Such technology remains years away, according to Dugan.

Work under way in Building 8 "will one day allow us to choose to share a thought, just like we do with photos and videos," Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on his page at the social network.

"Eventually, we want to turn it into a wearable technology that can be manufactured at scale."

Facebook started the Building 8 group last year, and put it in the hands of Dugan, who had previously led an advanced-technology projects group at Google.

Before joining Google, Dugan ran the Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, devoted to developing technology for the US military.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Global Launch Confirmed; Design Teased
  2. Poco F7 Launch Date, Price in India, Design and Key Features Leaked Online
  3. Poco F7 5G to Launch in India and Global Markets on This Date
  4. WhatsApp Is Finally introducing Ads on Its Messaging App
  5. Oppo Reno 14 5G Series, Watch X2 Mini, Enco Buds 3, Pad SE to Launch Globally
  6. OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 Colour Options, Key Features Leaked
  7. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price in India Discounted for a Limited Time
  8. Hisense U7Q Mini-LED TV Launched in India With These Features
  9. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Series Design Revealed in New Leaked Renders
  1. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price in India Discounted for a Limited Time: Check Offers, Availability
  2. Poco F7 5G India Launch Date Set for June 24; to Debut in Global Markets On the Same Day
  3. Meta AI App Now Shows a Warning Message to Dissuade Users from Publicly Sharing Private Chats
  4. OnePlus Pad Lite, OnePlus Watch 3 43mm to Launch on July 8 Alongside Nord 5 Series
  5. Samsung Galaxy Watch to Get Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load Features With One UI 8 Watch Update
  6. OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 Colour Options, Key Specifications Leaked
  7. Trump Media Seeks SEC Approval for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF
  8. Borderlands 4 Won't Cost $80 After All as 2K Confirms Pricing and Pre-Order Details
  9. Ace Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video: What You Need to Know About Vijay Sethupathi Starrer Movie
  10. Dear Uma Now Available for Streaming on Sun NXT: What You Need to Know About Poetic Drama
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.