It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but this is real – scientists in Australia have created a helmet that can read a person’s brainwaves and, using artificial intelligence (AI) can convert it into readable text.
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney have developed a sensor-filled helmet that a user wears. AI sensors track their brainwaves. These electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were then translated into text using an AI model called DeWave.
In a trial, 29 people wore the had and were then asked to read out random text, which was then converted into text.
Here is an example of the text that was given to participants: “Good afternoon! I hope you’re doing well. I’ll start with a cappuccino, please, with an extra shot of espresso.”
This was converted into text as follows: “Afternoon! You well? Cappuccino, Xtra shot. Espresso.”
While this example was quite a close match, others were not as successful – researchers reported a 40% accuracy rate overall.
Nevertheless, this is only initial research and the team at University of Technology Sydney are refining it constantly and hope to get it up to about 90% accuracy in the future.
It represents a major breakthrough as the technology is non-invasive and portable – other ideas have involved things like inserting microchips into the brain. It could have major uses in the future – so watch this space!
