Facebook envisions a future in which people will be able to type out words and send messages using only their brains.

Facebook设想未来人们只利用大脑就能打字发信息。

The idea might seem like the stuff of science fiction, but the social media giant said that it's moving closer to making the moonshot project a reality thanks to new research.

这可能听起来像科幻小说的情节,但这家社交媒体巨头公司说基于新的研究,该公司距离实现这一被称为“登月计划”的工作越来越近。

That could help Facebook build wearables such as augmented reality glasses, letting people interact with each other in real life without having to pick up a smartphone.

这能帮助Facebook建立可穿戴设备,如虚拟实境眼镜,让人们在现实生活中无需拿起智能手机就能彼此联系。

"The promise of AR lies in its ability to seamlessly connect people to the world that surrounds them -- and to each other. Rather than looking down at a phone screen or breaking out a laptop, we can maintain eye contact and retrieve useful information and context without ever missing a beat," Facebook said in a blog post.

Facebook在博客上写道:“AR的潜力在于它将人与周围世界以及人与人无线连接的能力。我们无需低头看手机屏幕或打开笔记本电脑,只要保持眼神接触,即刻就能获取有用信息并了解情况。”

Researchers, including at Stanford University, have already found a way to do this with patients who are paralyzed, but it requires surgery in which electrodes are implanted into the brain. Facebook, though, hopes to build a wearable that isn't invasive.

斯坦福大学及其他部门的研究员已经找到了在瘫痪病人身上实现这一目标的方法,但需要做手术将电极植入大脑。而Facebook希望能建立非侵入性的可穿戴设备。

The social network has kept tight-lipped about progress on the moonshot project since it was first unveiled.

自从登月计划首次公布以来,这家社交网络公司对研究进展缄口不语。

In the meantime, the company has faced a series of scandals about privacy and security.

同时该公司爆发了一系列关于隐私和安全的丑闻。

Facebook's tarnished image will likely make consumers wary about giving the social network the ability to decode their thoughts -- even if they're only the ones we want to share.

Facebook的形象受损,可能会使用户不敢给这家社交网络公司解读他们想法的机会,即使是我们想要分享的想法也不行。

It's also not the only company studying computer-brain interfaces. Elon Musk's startup Neuralink is trying to link our brains to computers.

Facebook也不是唯一一家研究人机连接的公司,伊隆·马斯克的新公司Neuralink正努力将我们的大脑和电脑连接起来。

 

翻译:菲菲