A machine that reads dreams and translates them into images - by Midjourney

A thought recording and reproduction device refers to any machine which is able to both directly record and reproduce, via a brain-computer interface, the thoughts, emotions, dreams or other neural/cognitive events of a subject for that or other subjects to experience. While currently residing within mostly fictional displays of the capacity of such devices, the idea has received increased scientific currency since the development of the first BCI-enabled devices. The term ''oneirography'', referring to the recording of dreams, is also a synonym for the above

Fiction

This hypothetical technology is a key element in some of the early short stories of

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...

, including his 1977 debut

Fragments of a Hologram Rose "Fragments of a Hologram Rose" is a science fiction short story by William Gibson. It was Gibson's first published work, originally appearing in 1977 in ''Unearth'', a short-lived science fiction collection magazine which retailed for $1.00; Gibson ...

, where it is called ASP (Apparent Sensory Perception). In his Sprawl trilogy, it is termed Simstim (Simulation Stimulation), and described as the most popular form of entertainment, perhaps equivalent to 20th century pop music. Whereas most instances depict a heavily edited documentary version, replaying an approximation of the actual experience of the person recorded, in The Winter Market a version able to record dreams and imaginations exists. A number of films from the 1980s onwards, such as '' Brainstorm'' (1983), '' Until the End of the World'' (1991), '' Strange Days'' (1995), '' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' (2001), and ''

Sleep Dealer ''Sleep Dealer'' is a 2008 futuristic science fiction film directed by Alex Rivera. ''Sleep Dealer'' depicts a dystopian future to explore ways in which technology both oppresses and connects migrants. A fortified wall has ended unauthorized Mex ...

'' (2008), depict the technology and its ramifications.

Research

In December 2008, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International's Department of Cognitive Neuroscience announced its own research into the translation of neural signals into images. In addition, Dr.

Moran Cerf Moran Cerf is am American-French-Israeli neuroscientist, professor of business (at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University), investor and former white hat hacker. He is the founder of Think-Alike and B-Cube and the host and ...

of UCLA published a 2010 paper for ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans ar ...

'' which claimed that he and other fellow researchers were on the cusp of being able to allow psychologists to interpret thoughts by corroborating people's recollections of their dream with an electronic visualization of their brain activity. The research outcome has often been popularized as a device that could record dreams. However, Moran Cerf says he never made that claim and only said that such a device is a theoretical possibility.

Current limitations

BCI devices currently are able to translate a limited subset of neural signals into digital signals, most of which are utilized for motor-centric controls of attached devices. The translation of images which are perceived or conceived within the brain has not yet been fully achieved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thought Recording And Reproduction Device Brain–computer interfacing Dream

Fiction

Research

Current limitations

See also

References