Intel Software Can Read Thoughts

Mind reading may no longer be the domain of psychics and fortune tellers — now some computers can do it, too.

Intel Corp. showcased some of its technological innovations on Wednesday in Manhattan. Among the still-under-development projects was software that uses brain scans to determine what items people are thinking about.

The software analyzes functional MRI scans to determine what parts of a person’s brain is being activated as he or she thinks.

Intel Labs researcher Dean Pomerleau says that in tests, it guessed with 90 percent accuracy which of two words a person was thinking about.

The technology could eventually help the severely physically disabled to communicate. And, Pomerleau sees it as an early step toward being able to control technology with our minds.

SAMANTHA GROSS, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK