Mind control is usually associated with concepts like telepathy, but in the real world, experts focus on different methods to allow a human brain to transmit orders directly. Previously we have seen developments that involve robots, quadcopters, and even wheelchairs. Today we travel to Zhejiang University in China, where a team of researchers managed to control the movement of rats using a wireless brain-to-brain interface.
This kind of news requires us to tread a little more carefully. After all, accusations of sensationalism are common, but when you see the study title: "Human mental control of continuous locomotion in cyborg rats", let's say we have permission to stretch our legs. Brain-to-brain interfaces are not exactly new. I still remember the non-invasive experiment from the University of Washington, in which one scientist ordered another to shoot in a video game, but the differences with the work from Zhejiang University are wide. As the title indicates, the communication was from humans to rats, and there is more: it was wireless.
How the experiment works
In relaxed terms, a human thinks about movement. This thought is recorded by an EEG system, which transforms it into a "control instruction" and transmits it wirelessly to a stimulator installed on the rat's back, which in turn has four pairs of electrodes placed in specific regions of the rat's brain. When the operator thinks about moving one of his arms, the rat turns in the corresponding direction, and blinking indicates it to advance. Each of the six rats interprets the signals and moves according to what it assimilated in its training. Here is the key: all cyborg rats were specially prepared to recognize and respond to this type of remote control.
What's next
The priority seems to be an optimization of the technology, but those responsible have not said anything about applications. To reach that phase, creating a non-invasive solution will be fundamental, and personally, I believe its potential remains hidden in the field of controlling robotic avatars.
Access the study: Click here. Source: Discover.
