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UW Researchers Demonstrate First Direct Communication Between Human Brains
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."
to the "Stop Hitting Yourself" game.
And using a telephone isn't contacting someone directly? Even as far as pedantry goes, that's pretty pedantic.
Have you considered the very real posibility that brain may not have proper mandatory authorization and intput verification and anyone with local access can say stop your heart?
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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.
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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?
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