UC Berkeley researchers have recently undertaken a project (see www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/Brain-Scanner-Records-Dreams-on-Video-130497213.html) that is both fascinating and incredibly creepy (perfect for a Halloween post!). They utilized fMRI technology to create a visual response database. By showing participants an array of videos, and simultaneously recording brain activity, they collected a cornucopia of data on how the human brain responds to specific visual stimuli. The database allows them to (more or less) reconstruct an image that a subject in an fMRI machine is simply imagining. This means (hypothetically) that if you are sitting in this fMRI machine, and an inappropriate visual memory pops into your head, BOOM. They've caught you, they saw it on their own computer screen. The database has outed your private thoughts. The system is far from perfect, as this video makes clear:
But within a decade or two, as the system is improved, this technology could have some pretty serious implications. We could see what people are dreaming, dive into the subconscious. Revealing, previously unavailable data would become available to numerous research areas. For example, flashbulb memories could be reconstructed on screen, then compared with actual happenings. There is, of course, the terrifying thought of the government getting their hands on this system and going on a brain invasion spree. Let's take a moment to appreciate the premature nature of this technology. Our thoughts are safe...for now.
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