Earlier this month we told you about the Harvard scientist that developed the world’s first brain-to-brain interface that allows humans to control animals through thought. Now researchers at University of Washington have developed the world’s first human brain-to-brain interface, with one person actually controlling another person purely through thought.
When cyberpunks are hacking your thoughts in the immediate future, all of you can attribute it to scientists Rajesh Rao and Andrea Stocco, the first developers (and participants) of a brain-to-brain interface between two human beings. Andrea Stocco even broke it down in terms the average interneter can understand.
The Internet was a way to connect computers, and now it can be a way to connect brains. We want to take the knowledge of a brain and transmit it directly from brain to brain.
To make this happen, Rajesh Rao attached himself to a electroencephalography machine in order for his computer to read electrical activity in he brain, and Andrea Stocco (located on the opposite side of the University of Washington) placed a magnetic stimulation coil over his left motor cortex (via a swim cap) which controls hand movement. Rao then played a game on his computer in which he would move his right index finger when he was supposed to fire at a target — except he only thought about moving his index finger. Once the signal was processed, it was sent to Andrea Stocco’s left motor cortex which made his index finger push the space bar on his keyboard as if he were firing at the target. Check out what Rao said about the newly-developed interface.
It was both exciting and eerie to watch an imagined action from my brain get translated into actual action by another brain,” Rao said. “This was basically a one-way flow of information from my brain to his. The next step is having a more equitable two-way conversation directly between the two brains.
They actually took video of the entire ordeal, feel free to look at it in all of its eeriness. Props to DENV3RtheDESTROY3R on the +100 news tip.
