Updated 28 November 2020 at 18:38 IST
Soldiers will be able to transmit commands using 'brain waves' during military ops: Study
The research, funded by US Army Research Office, has identified motion-directing, behavior-relevant waves of brain using algorithms for soldiers to communicate
- World News
- 3 min read
US army has hit a successful milestone in decoding brain signals that could be communicated as waves to instruct commands to the soldiers during military operations. According to the new research published in C4ISRNET that oversees the global military transformation and network-centric warfare technologies, products, and services for the federal government, the defense troops are now a step closer to the 'futuristic revolutionary concept' of using brain waves to communicate instead of radios and microphones. The research, funded by the US Army Research Office, has identified motion-directing and behavior-relevant waves of the brain using the algorithm and complex mathematics for secure communication among troops. Ultimately, the project is aimed to lead to a direct mental control of military systems by the mere 'thought process'.
“Here we’re not only measuring signals, but we’re interpreting them,” said Hamid Krim, a program manager for the Army Research Office.
Karim explained that scientists will develop machines that can send signals to the soldier’s brains to instigate them for corrective actions. This will minimize life threats to the warfighters in the combat roles. It will also actively detect the troops’ overall health status and will prompt the commanders when the soldier needs to be off-duty due to stress and relax. Earlier, in mid-August, the Army Research Office awarded a $4 million grant for scientific research. Elmar Schmeisser, ARO program manager, described the technology, saying that command will directly be communicated from the soldier's head into a computer and vice versa to enable “silent and secure communication” using the brain waves.
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A breakthrough in decoding brain signals by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) could be the first step toward a future where soldiers silently communicate during operations. ARL is strategically placed under the Army Futures Command. @C4ISRNET https://t.co/N4MOuQa16c pic.twitter.com/HPwufyrvlv
— Army Futures Command (@armyfutures) November 27, 2020
'Noise-free, clear, and secure' communication system
Schmeisser told the American Forces Press Service that no one can overhear the instruction, so, therefore, it is an absolutely secure system that is noise-free, clear, and secure for the soldiers. researchers at the University of California, Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland collaborated to decode the brain signals. The mathematics behind the technology is “fierce”, Schmeisser said. Meanwhile, Karim informed that the brain wave communication will need the soldiers to have a computer installed in the field of the operation. However, a battle-ready machine-human interface using brain signal might take up to 15 years, he added. Scientists separated the brain signals that could be used on a computer in a full-duplex communication mode with the brain with an experiment on a monkey. They extracted the motion signal by commanding it to fetch a ball.
Could soldiers silently communicate using brain signals in the future? https://t.co/987SHNnXFY
— C4ISRNET (@C4ISRNET) November 25, 2020
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Published By : Zaini Majeed
Published On: 28 November 2020 at 18:38 IST