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UW Researchers Demonstrate First Direct Communication Between Human Brains

Posted by Soulskill on from the i'm-just-going-to-remote-in-and-fix-this-problem-for-you dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Opening a fascinating set of ethical and legal issues, researchers at UW Seattle have demonstrated the first device to allow direct communication between two humans' brains. Effectively, they allowed a subject to play a video game with another subject's fingers. For now, the communication is uni-directional, though they intend to extend it to bi-directional. EEG sensors are attached to a subject's motor cortex to detect 'motor imagery' — imagined hand movement, in this case. That activity is translated and sent over a computer network where it triggers a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS) located over Subject 2's motor cortex. Effectively, Subject 1 imagines moving their hand, and Subject 2's hand moved."

8 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Misleading... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And using a telephone isn't contacting someone directly? Even as far as pedantry goes, that's pretty pedantic.

  2. Oujia board by suso · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sally: Mom, Bobby is moving my hand, tell him to stop.
    Bobby: I'm not moving it.

  3. Re:Transitional by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A six pack, a bottle of Tequila and some mescaline works just as well. No wires.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. Re:Not that impressive by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Person ignorant of the science and engineering uses his ignorance to declare it isn't impressive.

    Learn to think.

    Hint: It's as impressive as hell.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  5. It's only creepy if you speculate. by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Okay, let's just speculate about all the ways this could be misused:

    *-- Vending machines that make you reach into your pocket and pull out money whenever you pass by them.

    *-- Rich handicapped people buying time on poor people's bodies.

    *-- Rich people buying time on poor people's bodies, in order to do criminal things.

    *-- Police officers with a 'lay down with your hands behind your back' raygun.

    I'm sure I missed a few, any suggestions?

    --
    Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    1. Re:It's only creepy if you speculate. by EmperorArthur · · Score: 3, Insightful

      *-- Rich handicapped people buying time on poor people's bodies.

      *-- Rich people buying time on poor people's bodies, in order to do criminal things.

      They made a movie about that, except that it was "Rich people buying time on peoples bodies to do whatever the hell they wanted," and "Rich people buying time on death row inmate's bodies to make them kill each other."

      Gamer

      It still has some major plot holes that need to be overlooked, but I thought it was a decent sci-fi action flic.

      --
      So lets pretend that we've just completed writing this code, as opposed to having just completed sabotaging it -Altera
  6. Re:Not that impressive by PPH · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You know those magnets that can shut down a portion of your brain if you put the plate right against your skull?

    This explains those people walking down the street wearing headphones.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  7. Re:Not that impressive by Kielistic · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Okay... what they did was put a big fire under a balloon with some guys in in. Then they aimed the balloon up at something. Then they just had to time the lighting of the fire... and bam "moon landing".