Twitter-brain interface offers terrifying vision of the future

We'll be honest, we're always on the lookout for faster and better ways to annoy our Twitter followers with hopelessly mundane status updates, and this brain-control interface from the University of Wisconsin's Adam Wilson seems to be the perfect to get all Scoble on it with a minimum of effort -- you think it, you tweet it. Okay okay, we kid -- it's actually just the usual brainwave-control setup you've seen everywhere, and the average user can only do ten characters a minute, but think of the potential, people. Soon everyone will know that you are "Walking on sidewalk, LOL" almost the second you think it, and all it will take is a mindreading cap paired with a sophisticated computers running an advanced signal processing algorithm connected to the massive infrastructure of the internet via a multibillion-dollar mobile broadband network. That's progress. Video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

[Cj @ Apr 20th 2009 10:53PM]

Twitter will become Skynet.

[Schweppes @ Apr 20th 2009 11:17PM]

I was thinking more Ghostdusters, the scene where Egon has Louis Tully put that metallic pasta colander bowl on his head and the image of the ZUUL Dog on the monitor...

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Apr 20th 2009 11:26PM]

machines can read your mind and you jump to skynet? Not the matrix, not big brother, not some crazy fishstick lovin' kanye west akira fantasy, but skynet?

*sigh*

[mcatrage @ Apr 20th 2009 11:40PM]

I thought skynet was intelligent?

[CleverEndeavor @ Apr 21st 2009 12:22AM]

dear god, RUN.
RUN for your lives!!!

[Zac @ Apr 21st 2009 3:27AM]

Most hilarious is the word they used to finish it all. "TWIT"; is there a hidden meaning here?

[OneLove @ Apr 21st 2009 10:15AM]

He does look like a TWIT!

[TomTom2007 @ Apr 20th 2009 10:56PM]

Dear god, what have they created!

[who? @ Apr 20th 2009 11:18PM]

I know, that monitor is hideous! (kidding)

But now that I think about it, why does it seem like every mind reading device is hooked up to a beige display? Seriously, if you have the tech to detect brain activity, couldn't you afford a flatscreen?

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Apr 20th 2009 11:31PM]

@ TomTom2007

Where's the crayon shoved up the nose!?

[a ham sandwich @ Apr 20th 2009 10:58PM]

what's up with the shitty dell monitor?

[Richard Glitter @ Apr 20th 2009 11:06PM]

It's called spending scarce research dollars where they actually count.

[a ham sandwich @ Apr 20th 2009 11:11PM]

fair enough.

[JohnTitor @ Apr 21st 2009 4:18AM]

Making a brain-twitter hook up "actually counts"?

[cb88 @ Apr 21st 2009 10:27AM]

For the likes of stephen hawkin yes yes it does

[Decoy @ Apr 20th 2009 11:01PM]

Dammit, this would be great for disabled people.

[sacapuntas @ Apr 20th 2009 11:34PM]

^^^That seems to be the argument for creating all kinds of robot/mind-control technology lately. I for one am not buying it.

[aj121489 @ Apr 20th 2009 11:03PM]

Shouldn't it be tweet? Lol I don't use Twitter but when I hear "twit" I think of someone like the stereotypically clueless, annoying cheerleader

[AlekZander @ Apr 20th 2009 11:03PM]

Exactly.

[something clever @ Apr 20th 2009 11:15PM]

No, twit is the right word for it.

[wnr @ Apr 21st 2009 12:31AM]

Really on the nose isn't it?

[CubeGuy @ Apr 21st 2009 11:19AM]

The correct word would be "Tweet".

[Schweppes @ Apr 20th 2009 11:03PM]

I smell BS for funding $$$$

the reason why they use a big ass monitor is because there is a monkey inside it typing on a Netbook...

[Luigi193 @ Apr 21st 2009 12:26AM]

Hurray for government spending!

[Andrew @ Apr 20th 2009 11:06PM]

i think this thing should be named "Twat"

[auricom @ Apr 21st 2009 4:43AM]

Consider this the first and last warning. That word is strictly for usage by Stephen Colbert. http://digg.com/television/Stephen_Colbert_I_Have_Twatted

[LEE @ Apr 20th 2009 11:11PM]

....hmmmmmm, CAN THEY MAKE THE HELMET INTO A WIG.....WITH BLUETOOTH.....SO I CAN GET ONE FOR MY WIFE TO WARE IT.......WOULD BE A GREAT GIFT......SHE WOULD LOVE IT.........so would I.....hehehehehehe

L

[Taylor @ Apr 21st 2009 12:08AM]

did you type that with an engadget-brain interface?
what with all the caps lock...

[dan @ Apr 21st 2009 10:55AM]

I'm not sure much interfacing with any kind of brains went on during the construction of that message...

[sweet greggo @ Apr 20th 2009 11:10PM]

The caption in the image is 1000 times better than anything engadget could have come up with, but it doesn't surprise me that this particular blogger felt the need to take a shot at it.

[Nilay Patel @ Apr 21st 2009 12:19AM]

Dude, I went to law school at Wisconsin -- I would never "take a shot" at anything from there! Deep breaths, everyone else is smiling.

[Johnny @ Apr 21st 2009 10:16AM]

Unless the article changed, I'm not even sure what the hell you're talking about.

[DiLDoR @ Apr 20th 2009 11:13PM]

Anyone ready for this stand alone complex?

[STINK @ Apr 20th 2009 11:25PM]

Ghost in the Tardy Red Cap, indeed.

[skew @ Apr 20th 2009 11:36PM]

No one is THAT interesting that I want to know that much about what they're thinking all the time

[GroovDude @ Apr 20th 2009 11:55PM]

Lemme put on my twittercap and go to the bathroom....

"Helloooooo enchiladas, LAWL!!!" ^_^

[tweak @ Apr 21st 2009 12:09AM]

U-DUB!! WOOT!

[nak @ Apr 21st 2009 12:24AM]

It seems like it would go a lot faster if they used a form of T9 with predictive input.

[Flamov @ Apr 21st 2009 12:46AM]

CRTs are definitely futuristic.

[omega @ Apr 21st 2009 12:41AM]

So will the sidekick LX have this feature? Because the world isn't ready to know every thought of teenagers.

[elduder @ Apr 21st 2009 12:49AM]

What happens when you want to type a 9?

[Johnny @ Apr 21st 2009 10:18AM]

In the future, we won't need 9 anymore.

[LEE @ Apr 21st 2009 1:19AM]

....TAYLOR.......WELL I AM EATING SOME COLD ICECREAM, WITH THE CAPPS ON, AND I GOT A BRAIN FREEZE, AND A BRAIN CAPP'S FREEZE........

L

[ckent @ Apr 21st 2009 1:49AM]

Count me in! I'd love an invite!!

[ckent @ Apr 21st 2009 1:50AM]

crashes the comp also lol

[Str1ker @ Apr 21st 2009 1:52AM]

Clearly this is an evil conspiracy plot at being able to know what everyone is doing at all times, just like mobile phones are used to identify every persons position. Fucking Big Brother!!
The future will be a scary place.

[kovidog @ Apr 21st 2009 2:53AM]

The U of W is no joke. I have worked with some very brilliant people from there. Yes this is a bit goofy looking but the concept is very intriguing........."Neo you should have taken the blue pill...."

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 21st 2009 3:58AM]

I give up.

[Matt @ Apr 21st 2009 5:16AM]

Okay it might have been quicker just typing that, but god this is a step in the right direction!

[SiXiam @ Apr 21st 2009 5:54AM]

The Holo-Band of Caprica and the other 11 colonies is on it's way!