White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-07-30
Machines That Are
Almost Human
The Thought Transmitter
By E. G. OR

NJ 1OU DelleVe In mental telep-
- athy; In the power of one indi-
vidual to transfer his thoughts to the
brain of another, without speaking the
words?
Science has approached such a
phenomenon. A device has been per-
fected that enables speech, not
thought, to be projected into a chos-
en- brain by the mere pointing Of a
finger. Only the person selected to
hear 1t can hear the speech. In 4
crowded room, no one else can hear
what the speaker has to impart to
his chosen nearer.
Scientists call the device thought
transmitter, however, since it is the
speakers thoughts that are transmit
ted, although they are put into the
form of words before they are con.
veyed to the other person.
In any vast crowd, enveloped by an
immense silence, it is possible for an
operator Of the electrostatic projec-
ton machine to put words into the
mind of chosen subject merely by
grasping the handle Of the machine
and pointing his finger at the ear Of
the subject.
The device has been demonstrated
to scientists and others throughout the
country by Sergius P. Grace, assist
ant vice president of the Bell Tele-
phone laboratories. His uncanny de-
vice COMPOUNDED gatherings of electri-
cal engineers and industrial leaders
in New York and Chicago.
At the New York demonstration
Doctor Grace hooked up the machine,
grasped terminal and pointed fore
finger at the subjects ears. The lat
ter heard speech stressing the fact
that this was merely a demonstration.
No one else in the room heard the
speech.
In Chicago, Doctor Grace, before
1000 members of the Illinois Manufac-
turers association, spoke into a tele-
phone transmitter and by means of
an amplifier what he said could be
heard all over the room. While he
was speaking a part Of the current
used was stored in a "delay" circuit,
and part Of the speech was not broad.
cast.
After being stored four and half
seconds, this electrical current was
transformed to high voltage and
passed into Doctor Grace's body. At
this stage Of his demonstration, Doc
tor Grace pointed a finger at the ear
Of a member of the audience, who then
heard directly in his brain the same
sentence which Doctor Grace had
spoken into the telephone a few min
utes before.
This amazing feat, Doctor Grace ex.
planned, was due to the ear drum and
surrounding tissues being made to act
as one plate of condenser receiver,
the resulting vibrations of the ear be-
ing interpreted by the brain as speech
This electrostatic projection appar
atus In it's present documentary form,
however, is still only a scientists
Doctor Grace explained, but
it opens wide field for useful ma
chimes built on the same principal.
Another device, demonstrated by
Doctor Grace at the same two gath
erings, has since been placed In use
in telephone exchanges.
Carrying telephone into the room,
Doctor Grace requested member of
the audience to dial any number. The
spectator dialed a number and two
seconds later loud speaker In the
room. in clear, human voice, spoke
The number and exchange dialed. This
device is now used in co-ordinating au-
tomato and voice telephone systems.
A device to keep radio conversations
secret also was demonstrated by Doc
tor Grace. Scientists are working to
perfect that machine, for use when
radio telephoning becomes more popu-
lar, and as an instrument of commu-
nication In times of war.
The device "scrambles" any speech
sent over the radio apparatus. This
scrambled" speech is ordinary speech
With the frequencies, or tones, re-
SO that the high frequencies
become low and the low frequen-
lies become high. In other words,
he low tones become high and the
high tones Of ones speech become
ow when scrambled" by the device.
Another newly invented device at
ached to the radio receiving appar-
titus at the other end "unscrambIes"
he reversed speech and 1t is heard in
he form In which 1t originally was
poken.