[comp.society.futures] Pre-vocalization for human-computer interfaces

roberts@cognos.uucp (Robert Stanley) (11/18/87)

If any of you were surprised and/or disturbed by the idea of using
pre-vocalization as a cue in human-computer interfaces, I commend to you
a paper published in the proceedings of the Third Conference on Artificial
Intelligence for Space Applications (Part I).  The conference was held in
Huntsville, Alabama, 2-3 November, 1987.  The paper is entitled "An Innovative
Workstation" and the author was James Villarreal from the Artificial
Intelligence Section / FM7, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Texas.

This paper discusses practical research already performed in using measurement
of electrical and magnetic fields generated in/by the brain to control
operations at a computer workstation.  The current prototype appears to be
limited to EBT (Eye/Brain/Task) technology, but this group appears to be funded
for more advanced research.

Note: detecting brain-generated magnetic fields (of the order of 10**-8 Gauss)
      has only become possible with the introduction of SQUID (Superconducting
      Quantum Interference Device) technology, which *requires*
      superconductors.  This would appear to be one potential area of
      revolution should room-temeperature superconductors become available.

Robert_S
-- 
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