Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dreamed of making a gadget that would make it possible for humans to read each other’s thoughts by using brain waves to communicate. Now it seems this young entrepreneur is close to turning his dreams into reality, according to Business Insider.
Job listings hint at something big
Last year, Facebook reportedly created a secretive new research division which is developing “brain-computer interface” technology. This sounds very similar to the telepathy of science fiction movies.
Facebook’s Building 8 group listed several job postings describing a project that involves “neuroimaging” and “electrophysiological data” that will enable it to create a “communications platform of the future,” notes BI.
There is an open position for a brain computer interface engineer, for which the company is seeking a Ph.D. in neuroscience to help with a related project from “inception to product” over a two-year period. There is another listing for an engineer to “develop audio signal processing algorithms for a communication and computing platform of the future.”
Several other job postings are for engineers who can develop “novel non-invasive neuroimaging technologies and create realistic and immersive haptics experiences.” Thus, it appears as if Facebook is bringing in talent to map the brain, notes BI.
Facebook chose not to elaborate on the job listings, but a comment from Zuckerberg in 2015 suggests that the company could indeed be working on some kind of telepathic communication device that can be controlled with the brain.
During a Q&A session held in June 2015, Zuckerberg said, “One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you’d like.”
Facebook testing a product like Snapchat Discover
Facebook is also said to be testing its own version of Snapchat Discover to help publishers reach more readers on the site. It will enable users to swipe through five articles handpicked each day by select news organizations.
These stories will load quicker than before because they will be presented in the Instant Articles format. Also the stories will be topped with a cover image or video that’s optimized for mobile devices. The users will be able to like, comment and share individual articles and subscribe to the daily handpicked stories from specific news organizations.
On Wednesday, Facebook shares closed up 1.4% at $126.09.
