Delhi-born Arnav Kapoor, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has developed a device called ‘AlterEgo’, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered ‘mind reading’ headset. The device, a prototype of which debuted in 2018, lets users communicate with machines, AI assistants and other people by speaking internally. Communication is completely private and internal when bone conduction is used to send and receive information streams. This basically means that anyone wearing the device can order pizza or Subway without any interaction.
According to JEE News, “AlterEgo is a non-invasive, wearable, peripheral neural interface that allows humans to communicate in natural language with machines, artificial intelligence assistants, services, and other people without speaking—without opening their mouths, and without externally observable movements—by simply speaking words internally.”
The user receives audio feedback via bone conduction, which seals the interface and does not interfere with the user’s normal auditory experience. This makes it possible for the user to connect to the computer in such a way that he sees himself completely internally, like talking to himself. The main goal of this project is to help people who have difficulty speaking, especially those with diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, communicate.
A video of Mr Kapoor using the device has gone viral on social media. In the video, the interviewer asks Mr Kapoor questions and he answers them almost instantly without saying a word. The interviewer then says “You have the whole internet in your head”.
According to JEE News, Mr. Kapoor was fond of science, mathematics and the arts. He says that “when trying to find solutions to problems in the world it is important to consider them not as separate subjects but as complements”. He is currently pursuing his PhD at MIT where he is currently studying Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab.
“Arnav has an extensive list of accomplishments, with inventions that include a 3D-printable drone, a new platform for large-scale gene expression measurement, and a device called Nazi that helps restore sight to the visually impaired. He has also worked on a lunar rover that aims to land on the moon and relay new images of Earth to ARNA, including a new one. London’s Tate Modern and New York’s to exhibit at the Alt-AI conference,” the MIT website added. It was also included in TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2020.
