A staple in the science fiction industry is the idea of telepathy. Using one's mind to convey thoughts to another without having to vocalize them or even to tap in and read another person's thoughts are some of the most popular super powers that people wish they had.

Technology continues to catch up with the imagination of previous decades as MIT introduced a wearable headset that can basically read your mind. Translating neuromuscular signals that are made when you subvocalize, the device can accurately transmit the words that you are internalizing.

It sounds like magic, but the uses for this technology could be far reaching, both for entertainment and to do some genuine good in the world.

MIT grad student and lead author Arnav Kapur descibed his goal of melding humans and technology to better integrate developing technology into our lives. Though it may seem hard to believe right now, in five or ten years this type of technology will likely be commonplace.

How does it work?

The device itself looks like headphones that wrap down and around the jaw. Near the mouth, sensors pick up vibrations to send signals to the earpiece. Reacting to vibrations from your jawbone when you subvocalize, the signals are then able to connect with other voice activated devices as if the user was audibly speaking.

There is still much work to be done with integration to other products, but the future will likely see a focus on Google's Home, Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri as another method of communicating with everyday Wearable Technology.

So far, users have surfed using Roku as they explored some of the features of the current design.

Sky's the limit

Giving a voice to the voiceless is one admirable long term goal. In everyday life, it could ultimately pare well with a lot of the current technology that is popular in today's market. Connecting to smart watches and other augmented reality products would continue to change the way people interact in their everyday lives.

There is also the added benefit of aiding those who cannot speak. It could give those who suffer from a medical condition or those that are injured a new lease on life by restoring one of life's most important senses.

Going further, this technology could one day be the key to translating baby and toddler thoughts which would be a billion dollar industry unto itself -- with grateful parents. Similarly, if this could be used to translate the thoughts of pets, the market would be huge.
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