US government plans to plug implants into human brains to let us communicate telepathically – The Sun

Mind-reading tech could also allow us to communicate with computers and control machines using the power of thought

THE US government wants to implant tiny computers the size of a pound coin into peoples brains so they can communicate telepathically.

These devices could also allow us to operate machinery with our minds, treat brain injuries and let societies of the future send WhatsApp messages using the power of thought.

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The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) handed out $65million (50million) to six research teams, who have four years to come up with the terrifying new technology.

Scientists are expected to weave together a vast network of neurograins which can be worn as implants on top of the cerebral cortex or even embedded inside it.

Packed with sensors, the implants will detect how the brain processes and decode spoken language so it can be interpreted and understood by computers.

Some teams will be focused on improving sight whilst others concentrate on hearing and speech.

It will be no small task to design the brain-reading devices.

Darpa said the high resolution implants must record signals from one million neuronsat any given time.

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The headset or implant must be able to receive signals as well as transmit them and squeeze everything inside a device no larger than a pound coin.

Darpas Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) arm will fund five academic research groups and one small San Jose-based company to achieve this.

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Founding NESD manager Phillip Alvelda said: By increasing the capacity of advanced neural interfaces to engage more than one million neurons in parallel, NESD aims to enable rich two-way communication with the brain at a scale that will help deepen our understanding of that organs underlying biology, complexity, and function.

Its unclear how the brain implants will be tested.

But Darpa might not be the first to make telepathy a reality.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg claim to be working on similar technology.

Zuckerberg has admitted that his firm is secretly developing a mind-reading brain interface designed to allow humans to communicate telepathically.

He later refused to deny whether this will be used to improve the way in which brands can flog their wares on the social network, which is funded purely by massive advertising campaigns.

Fellow billionaire Musk recently founded Neuralink, a firm which willdevelop "neural lace" capable of downloading thoughts and connecting our minds to the internet.

He hopes humans will be able to "download thoughts" and possibly even treat disorders such as epilepsy and depression using the tech.

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US government plans to plug implants into human brains to let us communicate telepathically - The Sun