UW Researchers Demonstrate First Direct Communication Between Human Brains 154
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."
Re:Misleading... (Score:5, Insightful)
And using a telephone isn't contacting someone directly? Even as far as pedantry goes, that's pretty pedantic.
Oujia board (Score:3, Insightful)
Sally: Mom, Bobby is moving my hand, tell him to stop.
Bobby: I'm not moving it.
Re:Transitional (Score:4, Insightful)
A six pack, a bottle of Tequila and some mescaline works just as well. No wires.
Re:Not that impressive (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.
It's only creepy if you speculate. (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?
Re:Not that impressive (Score:4, 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.
Re:It's only creepy if you speculate. (Score:4, 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 [imdb.com]
It still has some major plot holes that need to be overlooked, but I thought it was a decent sci-fi action flic.
Re:Not that impressive (Score:2, Insightful)