Monkey can rewrite Shakespeare drama thanks to technology

Just a little support from memory reading technology, Shakespeare's immortal works can be rewritten by . monkeys.

It is often said that there is no way a monkey can use a typewriter to type in a few lines, let alone beat the whole work of Shakespeare. The story that seems to never become reality turns out to be possible. A strange experiment was conducted and turned fairy tales into reality.

To prove that polio people can type using a device called "computer brain interface" , scientists used monkeys to show how it works. Technology uses a range of electrodes implanted in the brain. This can directly read signals from the hand control areas and arm movements. These areas are responsible for moving the computer mouse.

Two monkeys participated in the typing experiment of Shakespeare's work.(Photo: Getty Images).

The Stanford University team developed an algorithm to translate signals as well as create selected words. Monkeys are trained to retype words that correspond to what they see on the screen. They were given a piece of Shakespeare's Hamlet and a part of the New York Times newspaper to reproduce.

This technology allows monkeys to type at speeds of up to 12 words per minute. After a period of time, the two brown monkeys selected to experiment have successfully completed the task. Although the speed of 12 words per minute cannot be compared to those who type fast, this proves that : "If a monkey doesn't know anything about English, he can operate this system in a way "good", the system works just as well with people ".

To complete the work, the monkeys were implanted electrodes in the brain to control hand movements. The two monkeys can move the computer mouse cursor in multiple directions on a grided table. By thinking about moving forward or backward, left or right, the board will represent the letters in the alphabet. When a square on the computer screen lights up, the monkey can move the mouse pointer to the square and use its brain to refer to the word to choose. So every word is chosen, and Shakespeare's works and articles are perfectly reproduced.

Krishna Shenoy, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University and colleague Paul Nuyujukian, said: "An earlier model of equipment that has been successfully tested on people is paralyzed, but the typing speed is slow. and lack of accuracy ". Professor is optimistic that the problem has been solved by extremely smart computer software. They can handle very well the signals created by the brain.

Mr. Nuyujukian said: "Our results prove one thing, this interface has great potential in applying to human activity. It allows paralyzed people to type and create assemblies. complete and understandable voice ".

Other methods that help people with an action disorder communicate with the world regarding eye movement monitoring. Famous polio physicist Stephen Hawking used the movements of the facial muscles to proceed to type. But this method has certain limitations, because facial control can be difficult for many people.

The interface of the system reads the signal directly from the brain.(Photo: Stanford University).

Stephen Hawking cannot use eye tracking software because his eyelids collapse. Moreover, this technology has also been proven to be exhausting for some users. Therefore, the method of direct reading of signals from the brain will be a more effective way for the paralyzed to transmit their thoughts and feelings . Mr. Nuyujukian added: "Our system is exactly what people will use. It is never before that we can calculate the typing speed back into the past."

The typing speed of 12 words per minute of the monkeys can be increased by using technology that runs on smartphones. In addition to demonstrating the viability of the signal-reading technology directly from the brain, the study also shows that sensors implanted in the brain can work stably for several years. The animals tested with this new technology with no complications at all.

In 2011, a group of monkeys completed the rewriting of Shakespeare's works. Although they are only virtual monkeys, they are programmed with algorithms to work as hard as a real typist. These monkey software typed the texts randomly.

Scientists say that these monkeys have completed 99.9% of Shakespeare's works even though they are not properly ordered. The first poem to be finished is the Lover's Grievance.