The Army awarded a five-year, $4 million contract last month to scientists from the University of California at Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland, to produce "thought helmets," it will allow troops to communicate using only information from their brain waves. The goal is that the project will lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone. In a 1982 film called "Firefox," Clint Eastwood attempted to steal a Soviet fighter plane that possessed special powers: the pilot could manage its weapons with his mind. Not to forget the monkey who could control a robotic arm with its mind. Alternatively, the Emotiv Systems $299 headset that can control their video-game characters with their thoughts.

However, such a technology could be decades away, the difficulty lies in the fact that such an immense amount of brain activity occurs at once, and all people have unique EEG blueprints. The individuals who use the technology will also have to be trained to think in a way the system will understand. The Army's initial goal is to capture brain waves with software that translates the waves into audible radio messages for other troops in the field. 'It'd be radio without a microphone.

Soldiers are already trained to talk in clean, clear, and formulaic ways; it would be a very small step to have them think that way. Having a soldier gain the ability to communicate without any overt movement would be invaluable both in the battlefield as well as in combat casualty care.

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