The idea of verbatim brain to brain communication is a staple ofscience fiction , but progress is being made to make it a reality . pupil have had their brains directly connected so that they can get together based on thoughts alone
In February , Cornell researchers demonstrated that two monkeys could be connected electrically so that one could command the other’sability to move a control stick . Now , the University of Washington has attain something alike in human being .
InPLOS ONE , a team led by Professor Rajesh Rao describe using electroencephalography ( EEG ) to record the brain signal of six students which were then carry over the cyberspace and birth using transcranial magnetic stimulation ( TMS ) .
The students were play a figurer game in which receivers needed to press a touchpad to fight back a practical city from rockets provoke by a buccaneer ship , while avert hit a planer bring relief supplies . Timing was crucial .
The sender could see the projection screen , and therefore hump when to burn down a carom to burgeon forth down the rockets . However , the inflammation had to be done by the receiver , who was stymy from seeing the screen . Their connection allowed the sender to affect the motor cortex region of the receiver , causing them to fire the cannon . To prevent any pernicious communicating by other means , the students were kept in separate construction while the biz was afoot .
“ Whenever the receiver ’s computer receive a fire statement , a TMS pulse rate was delivered to a pre - selected realm of the receiving system ’s brain . The stimulation caused a quick up jerking of the Receiver ’s correct hired hand , ” the newspaper theme , which then rebounded with enough force to fire the cannon . The entire process took two thirds of a second , mostly in the hand ’s up then down social movement .
command trial were done where the mastermind - to - learning ability channel was handicapped . Not surprisingly , with no input signal from the sender on when to send away , no skyrocket were destroyed during the mastery . Of the three pairs of players , success when the duct were in mathematical process was varied – 25 % for one pair and 37.5 % and 83.3 % for the others . It appears that the least successful duo failed , not because the nous - to - genius groove did n’t mold , but because the sender was rotten at playing the game . A seperate work used the same compounding of EEG and TMS to sendless utilitarian info across the human race .
While dream of precept that is not “ fix by speech , ” the writer take we are a long agency from doing aside with words . “ The neural underpinnings of sensorimotor data are much better understood than those of conceptual and abstract information , ” they point out . Nevertheless , they have received a grant to attempt to extend the research to other aspects of the brain ’s behaviour , such as finding a style that one somebody could broadcast messages to barricade another from fall asleep .
H / TScience Daily
