DocM Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20130727195545data_trunc_sys.shtml University of Washington researchers have demonstrated a non-invasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher. Previously, researchers at Duke University had demonstrated brain-to-brain communication between two rats. But University of Washington researchers Rajesh Rao and Andrea Stocco believe theirs is the first demonstration of human-to-human brain interfacing. The technologies used by the researchers for recording brain signals and delivering them to the receiver are not new. Electroencephalography (EEG) is routinely used by clinicians and researchers to record brain activity non-invasively from the scalp. To deliver the signal to the recipient, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used. TMS is a non-invasive way of stimulating the brain to elicit a response. Its effect depends on where the scalp coil is placed; in this case, it was placed directly over the brain region that controls a person's right hand. By activating these neurons, the stimulation convinced the brain that it needed to move the right hand. Co-researchers Matthew Bryan, Bryan Djunaedi, Joseph Wu, Alex Dadgar, and Dev Sarma, wrote the computer code that translates Rao's brain signals into a command for Stocco's brain. The demonstration was carried out earlier this month, when Rao sat in his lab wearing a cap with electrodes hooked up to an electroencephalography machine. Stocco was in his lab across campus wearing a swim cap marked with the stimulation site for the TMS coil that was placed directly over his left motor cortex, which controls hand movement. The team had a Skype connection set up so the two labs could coordinate, but neither Rao nor Stocco could see the Skype screens. For the demonstration, Rao looked at a computer screen and played a simple video game with his mind. When he was supposed to fire a cannon at a target, he imagined moving his right hand (without actually move his hand), causing a cursor to hit the "fire" button. Almost instantaneously, Stocco, who was wearing noise-canceling earbuds and not looking at a computer screen, involuntarily moved his right index finger to push the space bar on the keyboard in front of him, as if firing the cannon. Stocco compared the feeling of his hand moving involuntarily to that of a nervous tic. "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." Rao stressed the technology only reads certain kinds of simple brain signals, not a person's thoughts. "I think some people will be unnerved by this because they will overestimate the technology," Prat added. "There's no possible way the technology that we have could be used on a person unknowingly or without their willing participation." The researchers next plan to conduct an experiment that would transmit more complex information from one brain to the other. Stocco said years from now the technology could be used, for example, by someone on the ground to help a flight attendant or passenger land an airplane if the pilot becomes incapacitated. Or a person with disabilities could communicate his or her wish, say, for food or water. The brain signals from one person to another would work even if they didn't speak the same language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arceles Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Soon available, hacking into another person's brain! control it remotely as if it were you! :D (Log me In available) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctified Veteran Posted September 14, 2013 Veteran Share Posted September 14, 2013 The cyberpunk era has begun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiB3R Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Which region of the brain stimulates the penis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 "i can't say i enjoyed the steamy, sweaty sex." "that's ok. it's all in your mind." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phouchg Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Build it into a rather large hat, equip with a hidden wireless transmitter and control your own zombie army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compl3x Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Which region of the brain stimulates the penis? If yours is anything like mine, all of it Tha Bloo Monkee, FiB3R and KingCracker 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 14, 2013 Author Share Posted September 14, 2013 Which region of the brain stimulates the penis? The erectile reflex is originated in the local parasympathetic nerves, mediated at the spinal cord level and modulated by pathways originating in the raphe nuclei in the brain stem. The medial preoptic area and the paraventricular nucleus are integrating centers. Ian W 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 All this time and I thought they'd just use a USB cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skin Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argonite Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 All this time and I thought they'd just use a USB cable. Was thinking more eSATA, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compl3x Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 The erectile reflex is originated in the local parasympathetic nerves, mediated at the spinal cord level and modulated by pathways originating in the raphe nuclei in the brain stem. The medial preoptic area and the paraventricular nucleus are integrating centers. This sentence did nothing to stimulate my penis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seta-san Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 The erectile reflex is originated in the local parasympathetic nerves, mediated at the spinal cord level and modulated by pathways originating in the raphe nuclei in the brain stem. The medial preoptic area and the paraventricular nucleus are integrating centers. basically attach a neural stimulator at the brain stem and you can walk around with perminent erection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiB3R Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 The erectile reflex is originated in the local parasympathetic nerves, mediated at the spinal cord level and modulated by pathways originating in the raphe nuclei in the brain stem. The medial preoptic area and the paraventricular nucleus are integrating centers. Awesome. How can I hook that **** up to an xbox controller? I wish to perform a 50+ hit Ultra Combo on myself. (or get into a bit of multi player action, once I've learned the moves) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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