One
of my favorite plot devices in SFR is having a main character be
telepathic in some way; whether by reading minds or controlling them,
using the brain to do something extraordinary has always been
particularly fascinating to me.
When
I sat down to write my first book, At
First Touch, I
wasn’t thinking about developing a character who could read minds.
I was creating someone who had seen the worst of people and was still
fighting. As the story developed, it became clear that my main
character’s ability wasn’t the main problem or catalyst; it was
how people in power perceived her and sought to use her for their own
purposes.
And
it got me thinking. There are so many books, movies, etc. about
characters who can read minds or other variations on the theme. What
is it about knowing the thoughts of everyone around us that is so
compelling?
When
I was a lowly undergraduate, I majored in Psychology. The real draw
for me (apart from all the fun personality tests) was learning how to
read people, understand the way they think, why they behave the way
they do. In short, I wanted to be a mind-reader.
Everyone
is a bit of a mind-reader. It’s how we know to stop asking the boss
for a raise when he gets a certain tone in his voice, why we
recognize when our significant other is about to end things, or how
we know the time is right to ask our parents for that raise in
allowance. We base our reactions on a lifetime of memories and
precedence, and most of the time we’re right.
So
why do we dream about more? Why are we so drawn to stories of
cyborgs, characters who can move things with their minds, who can
heal with a thought? Some of the best SFR out there involves
telepathic abilities in one way or another.
Because
it’s a completely awesome idea. And it may not be that far off in
the future. There’s some pretty exciting stuff being investigated
right now, things writers have been dreaming of for decades.
Microchips in the brain that teach us to heal ourselves, that link to
others, link to computers. The list goes on. For instance, during a
recent neuro-technology experiment at the University of Washington,
two subjects actually accomplished brain-to-brain interaction using a
brain-computer interface (BCI).
Brain-to-Brain
Interface (BBI) is the newest and most exciting development in the
field. Unlike BCI, where the interaction is interpreted by a
computer, recent advances are in the stages of infancy, but rely
solely on mind-to-mind connections. In 2014, Harvard Medical
researchers were able to connect a human brain with a rat’s brain
(creepy, right?) to move the rat’s tail with 94% accuracy using
only direct neural commands from the human brain.
Eventually,
this area of research is intended to produce the ability to send a
text or email with a thought, to give commands on a video game
telepathically, along with other, more practical implementations. Can
you imagine if covert military operatives were able to communicate
brain to brain instead of relying on whispers or signals? Or
individuals suffering from strokes, ALS, or other debilitating
conditions that prevent speech being able to hold conversations in
their heads? Already the technology is being used in robotics, making
robotic prosthetics a very real possibility in the near future. The
implications are staggering.
Of
course, I wasn’t thinking about any of this when I created my own
telepathic character with BCI; I just wanted to see what it would be
like if she were burdened by knowing everything about anyone she came
in contact with, and how that would change her as a person.
But
it raises some interesting questions, both regarding the good that
can be accomplished by such technology and abilities, as well as the
harm that can be done. What would the societal ramifications be if
we all had computer chips in our brain that interfaced with a larger
server? Or if we were expected to work with someone across the ocean
using only a neural interface? What privacy concerns and ethical
issues would arise if this technology became a reality?
Readers
and authors of SFR may be ready to answer some of those questions
now, and in fact, some already have.
At
any rate, synthetic telepathy is a real possibility, and a wonderful
source of inspiration, even if we’re not all lining up to be joined
with a rat brain!
Really
cool info!
Mattie
Dunman is a lifelong resident of "Wild & Wonderful"
West Virginia, and has dreamed of being a writer since she first held
a pen in hand. Mattie has pursued several useless degrees to support
this dream, and presently is lost in the stacks of her local library.
She spends most of her free time writing, but also indulges in
reading and traveling. She is the proud owner of an adorably insane
American Eskimo named Finn, and a tyrant cat named Bella, who take up
more of her attention than they probably should.
Mattie would love to hear from you! www.mattiedunman.com
Mattie would love to hear from you! www.mattiedunman.com
The
views expressed are solely those of the author and not representative
of the SFR Brigade.
