Microsoft now has applied to get a brain control interface patented which will enable users to launch and operate applications and web browsers just with their minds.
The patent application called “Changing an application state using neurological data”, was filed in May 2016, and published last week.
This brain sensing system works on the principle of electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes, which are typically used in healthcare to monitor sleep patterns and to diagnose epilepsy.
However, Microsoft is exploring its potential in the commercial realm as well. The system will sense the neurological intent data from user’s mind, enable the execution of specific operation, and change the state of an application as envisioned by the user.
The brain sensing system is a computer-implemented method to create and manage a state machine for at least one application. The state machine, tailored for a single user, is configured to change the state of the application based on neurological data received by the user.
“Some computer applications include various application states, where the same user input is operable to cause different functions within the application depending on the particular application state that the application is in when the user input is received. By way of example, a combination of `click and drag` input is operable to perform a variety of different functions within some 3D modeling software, depending on the state of the application at the time the input is received (e.g., selecting and moving an object, rotating the object, drawing a line on the object, defining an edge on the application, extruding a surface from the object, and so forth,” the patent states.
Microsoft’s new technology could perfectly complement its HoloLens headset. Microsoft is not the only company working for brain sensing system. In April 2017, Facebook CEO also indicated that they were developing a brain computer interface.
At CES trade show in Las Vegas, the Japanese carmaker Nissan talked about Brain-to-Vehicle (B2V) technology, which could enable humans to use signals from their brains to make the drive even more exciting, enjoyable, and safe.
Also read: Emotion AI to read emotional state of mobile device users by 2022
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are treading further with mind sensing technologies, and it will be interesting to see the future of AI.
