Patents for mind reading technology have quadrupled last year, as 1,600 companies filed neuro-technology related patents as compared with just 400 filings between 2000-2009.
The patents range from mind reading devices, to devices that can change the thoughts and feelings of the user.
Microsoft and research firm are among a list of companies who have filed such patents.
Independent.co.uk reports:
But there are still medical uses — some of those patents awarded include technology to measure brain lesions and improve vision.
The volume and diversity of the patents shows that we are at the beginning of “the pervasive neurotechnology age”, the company’s CEO Alvaro Fernandez said.
“Neurotech has gone well beyond medicine, with non-medical corporations, often under the radar, developing neurotechnologies to enhance work and life,” said Fernandez.