"A day in the future” is a series of posts about fictional and "mundane" conversations people will have in the future. The goal for me here is to present futurists day to day interactions from a human point of view.
Introduction
Before sharing the story, it is important to provide some background about the technology regarding this futuristic conversation.
One of the biggest impact technology has in our lives, is the possibility to automate a lot of the tasks we need to do in our day to day activities, having as an immediate result an increase in our productivity.
Specific examples of this can be washing machines and instant communication using the internet, because both of them allow us to accomplish actions that would otherwise consume more of our precious time.
It is fair to say that today we are living in what we could consider as modern times, simply because there are no registers of a civilization more advanced than ours, so it is completely justified for us to call ourselves modern.
When trying to imagine the future, it is easy to commit conceptual mistakes as to how is the world and our lives going to be, once an innovative product has already been designed and released into the market, it becomes obvious to appreciate the logic behind the innovation, but figuring out what could be the next step without previously seeing it is very hard.
Having said that, currently we have technology that by looking at our brain signals, can in a rudimentary way, interpret what is it that we are thinking.
...the scientists from Kyoto developed new techniques of "decoding" thoughts using deep neural networks (artificial intelligence). The new technique allows the scientists to decode more sophisticated "hierarchical" images, which have multiple layers of color and structure. | Source
This will obviously have great and profound implications for humanity, this means that a future will come where we can literally record our dreams and thoughts to enjoy them later (or to be use for psychological analysis), we could also create an interface where an architect would imagine the designs, and these would materialize in front of them And the same can be said of painters, among others.
Neural networks are defined as “brain-inspired systems which are intended to replicate the way that we humans learn. Neural networks consist of input and output layers, as well as (in most cases) a hidden layer consisting of units that transform the input into something that the output layer can use. They are excellent tools for finding patterns which are far too complex or numerous for a human programmer to extract and teach the machine to recognize” | Source
A similar innovation is being developed regarding words, which could eventually allow us to literally be able to communicate between us telepathically.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to monitor people’s brain waves while they spoke. The brain waves were then matched to the syllables and numbers using “machine learning”, a process used to develop artificial intelligence. | Source
This, as surely as many can imagine, will be sensational for people or who are mute and cannot talk, since with an innovation like that one, they would be able to finally communicate using words.
However, we must not forget that people who have these problems and needs are a very small part of the population, so the real impact will come in the long term when this becomes adopted by the general population,
...brain-computer interface, or BCI, provides a way to directly measure neuron activity and translate it into information or action. | Source
With a system like this we could have a future where we would communicate simply by just thinking, without uttering words, but just by thinking about them they would be broadcast to the other person, essentially resulting in two remote individuals having a conversation with just thinking.
Everywhere we look, the tendency is clear. We are developing technology that as time pass, is able to integrate with our own bodies in a more complex ways, increasing our capabilities in the process.
I present you here, an interview between @dedicatedguy from the future and the creator of a new revolutionary product called “Neuralphone”:
-Dedicated: Hi Charles (the creator)
-Charles: Hello Dedicated and thanks for the invitation.
-Dedicated: Tell us Charles, what led your group to develop this extraordinary device that you call the Neuralphone?
-Charles: Well look, in the market almost all devices are simple little variations of the same old augmented reality device, and given the issue of patents and how difficult it was for some to compete in that sector, we decided that it was best to leave those devices with their own market, and instead, innovate in other areas, and we started thinking, is there any way to improve what is already available? Is there any way to do something truly superior that could amaze the world?, something that could be considered by the public as a real new step in the evolution of technology? And our group decided that yes, there was room to innovate with something totally new, but at the same time take advantage of what was learned with the existing products and all their variations.
-Dedicated: well in the meantime we will have to take your words as true, because until next month when this product is finally released, the public will not be able to try one and see how amazing this gadget really is.
-Charles: The public won’t be able, that is true, but you will, because I brought with me one that came directly from the factory, one of the first to ever be made, because I think it will help you to better explain to other people what we have done here.
-Dedicated: What !? really? I have been crazy to try one!
-Charles: hehe believe me, I imagine that, I knew that if someone deserved the honor of being the first outside of our company to try one, that would be you…
At this point I was very excited because I didn’t expected to try one of these products, I felt my heart beating fast!
-Dedicated (with the smile of a kid opening his birthday present): okay nice! where is it?
-Charles: Well, here it is, the first one outside of the factory, we are very proud of this product.
-Dedicated: All right, how do I put this on?
-Charles: Let me help you ... You just put this around your head and there you go ...
-Dedicated: But I will look weird with that around my head
-Charles: Of course not, please take a look at the screens as you see yourself
-Dedicated: Wow, I don’t see it!
-Charles: That’s right, the NeuralPhone the first thing it does is camouflage itself around your head taking exactly the same color of your skin and hair, while also taking into account their patterns, so for all purposes it is almost invisible.
-Dedicated: Well, I must say you've already surprised me!
-Charles: That's nothing, I want you to do this now: Close your hands but leave only the index and middle fingers out in each hand, and with those fingers touch the NeuralPhone on either side of your head, as if you were going to concentrate, and as long as you do, close your eyes. That is the gesture for the NeuralPhone to activate. And do not be scared, you may be impressed by the first thing you experience, and whatever happens, do not open your eyes until I tell you.
I was a little bit worried and nervous about all of this, suddenly I saw something and jumped!!
-Dedicated: ¡¡Whaaat!!!!!!
-Charles: (who was smiling): Could you tell me what you see?
-Dedicatedguy (my mouth, unlike my eyes, was open, and I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing): it's a bit difficult to explain this but somehow I'm seeing what it looks like the interface of the device, which seems impossible because my eyes aren’t open
-Charles: Exactly! the great innovation with the NeuralPhone was to finally integrate technologies that connect externally to the sensory parts of the brain in a single device, not only to change the signals that the brain receives, but also to decode the things your perceive through your senses.
-Dedicated: This is incredible wow, can I open my eyes now?
-Charles: One more moment please, we need finish the training and diagnosis stage first. At any time you will receive an alert in your visual field asking if you are ready for neuronal linking
-Dedicated: Yes you are right, I see it, and I'm even starting to hear a very relaxing music.
-Charles: haha yes, it's to calm you and help you relax!
The NeuralPhone right now must be asking you with a very calm voice if you want to proceed to establish the neuronal linking of this NeuralPhone with your brain and...
-Dedicated: wow!
-Charles: What?!
-Dedicated: I just thought to answer "yes" and the NeuralPhone is proceeding with the linking
-Charles: You are going to fast! This is like a training stage where ...
-Dedicated: oh!! damn!!!
-Charles: what are you seeing??
-Dedicated: It is something intimate that only I can know about it!
-Charles: Calm down, that's what is worrying you? that the device can see your memories, but do not worry about it, only you have control of it, and no one outside of your mind can see what you are seeing now.
-Dedicated: that’s good to know! This could potentially be a little bit embarrassing!
-Charles: hahaha! You don’t even want to imagine what I saw first when we were developing the Neuralphone and I tried for the first time!
-Dedicated: This is...wow
-Charles: tell me what you are experiencing now?
-Dedicated: I am interacting with the NeuralPhone, it talks to me, I think about my answers and it receives them without problems, I am now accessing a lot of information on the Internet by just thinking
And a few seconds ago I started to think about a song and it started to play inside my head, then I thought about the video of that song and suddenly I started watching the holographic video as well, this is like magic.
-Charles: I think you can open your eyes then.
-Dedicated: wooow!!
-Charles: I assume you are experiencing what we call the next stage in Augmented Reality ...
-Dedicated: Yes! I'm seeing an interface similar to our regular augmented reality gadgets, but without having anything in my eyes, and somehow I feel like integrated with this device, as if I did not have to think about how to do things but I simply think and it is done.
It's as if this device was linked with my ...
-Charles: Neurons, yes it is.
With the Neuralphone we reach a new level in the integration of our minds with our machines. It is one more step towards achieving technological singularity.
-Dedicated: I am still surprised by the fact that I have nothing in my eyes and ears, but I see and hear things, as if they were generated in my mind, it is out of this world!
-Charles: guess what, we have another surprise ...
-Dedicated: More, really?
-Charles: Well, it has nothing to do with what the NeuralPhone itself does, but we announce today that the same day that the NeuralPhone goes on sale we will also make it available for 3D printers, so that those who wish to print one in the comfort of their home can do so.
-Dedicated: It sounds great! Give me a moment to just pre order one right now through the NeuralPhone!
Do you think a device like the one described here could exist one day?
References
digitaltrends – neural network
Images sources
All images are from pixabay or pexels
1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9
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