Computer-Brain Interface Used to Illustrate Thoughts - In 3D

Post #  92  

      Have you ever had things in your head that you think are great ideas, but you just can't seem to express them, or get them out fast enough to suit you?  I know that I wish there were some way to produce the various symphonies I sometimes hear in my head (don't worry, I never hear weird voices telling me to do things - just symphonies and movie and TV scripts).  Some people can't draw a stick figure, but can imagine all sorts of great images.  A team of scientists in Chile have been working overtime to address this.  
      In May they announced the first ever object created by the mind.  The group called Thinker Thing led by their CTO George Lakowsky have linked two forms of cutting edge technology to accomplish this.  They used a computer-brain interface system in order to read the thoughts of individuals (yes, that part of it all kind of makes me a little uneasy too), and hooked it up to a 3D printer.  

      The first object created from a subject's imagination (above) was a small, three fingered, robotic arm.  “Whilst the first object George created was very simple it’s a breakthrough of epic proportions in our project” said Thinker Things Founder, Bryan Salt. 
      The interface reads the small impulses of the brain and transfers them to the 3D printer.  Through this process they can create real, physical objects directed just by a person's thoughts. 
      The team also wants to use this technology to go out into the countryside and teach children about science and the arts.  They call this the Start Up Chile Program.  This is aimed at educating disadvantaged children.  Using their new technology they want to allow these children a chance to create objects with their minds.  

      So a few things strike me with this.  The first thought is "how cool is this?"  Then I have to think that now the scientists of Kyoto aren't the only ones with the capability to read a person's thoughts.  That leads me then to think about what will the various governments do with this?  Maybe if this thought reading is published twice on one year, then the governments already have had this ability for years.  They wouldn't need to monitor our every phone call and computer click to try and guess what we're thinking, and determine if our thoughts are dangerous or not (that has recently been admitted [after a bunch of leaks], that every single phone call and every single computer click is monitored, and then if any flags are raised, the surveillance becomes more personal).  They could just read the thoughts.  
      At least for now our thoughts can't read any of our thoughts without us knowing about it.  They have to hook up all these things to our brain, and so far there's no stealthy way to do that. As science works to try and turn us into a form of the Borg, there may be new technologies created that would only require a nanobot injection, or even a pill, so that everyone's brain can be connected to a main frame (I'm sure that we would be convinced that it would all be for our benefit - making our brains computer ready so that we could use all the latest apps, keep our money safe from theft, keep us from ever getting lost, and other such things).  
      As you can tell, I have mixed feelings about this.  One thing is for certain.  Bob Dylan was right many decades ago when he said "The times are a changin'." 
      What are your thoughts on this?