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Brain Stimulation For Entertainment?

Posted by Soulskill on from the volunteer-your-neighbors-as-guinea-pigs dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been used for years to diagnose and treat neural disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer's, and depression. Soon the medical technique could be applied to virtual reality and entertainment. Neuroscientist Jeffrey Zacks writes, "it's quite likely that some kind of electromagnetic brain stimulation for entertainment will become practical in the not-too-distant future." Imagine an interactive movie where special effects are enhanced by zapping parts of the brain from outside to make the action more vivid. Before brain stimulation makes it to the masses, however, it has plenty of technical and safety hurdles to overcome.

3 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Stimulation via Content? by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What happened to stimulating the brain via the old fashioned method by having an exciting, provocative story populated by diverse and interesting characters? Have Hollywood fallen so far that the only way they can stimulate people's brain now is by the direct application of voltage?

    1. Re:Stimulation via Content? by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Better question is, if you can directly stimulate the brain and cause pleasure, why bother opening your eyes?

      Oh right. Because movies are with propaganda, and the point of the brain stimulation is to break your capacity for critical evaluation.

      I'll pass, thanks. I read Spider Robinson, I know how this turns out, and I don't feel like being found sitting in a pile of my own excrement with a beatific grin on my face...

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
  2. Larry Niven Anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    One word: wirehead.