8/31/2014

Scientist transmits message into mind of colleague 5,000 miles away using brain waves | Mail Online

Could we soon send emails 'telepathically'?

Scientist transmits message into the mind of a
colleague 5,000 miles away using brain waves
Scientists used EEG headsets to record electrical activity in the brain
Electrical activity from words hola and ciao were converted into binary
The greeting was sent from Thiruvananthapuram, India to Strasbourg
A computer translated the message and then used electrical stimulation to
implant it in the receivers mind, appearing as specific flashes of light
According to the researchers, this is the first time humans have sent a message
almost directly into each others brains
By Ellie Zolfagharifard for MailOnline
Published: 09:31 GMT, 29 August 2014 | Updated: 10:27 GMT, 29 August 2014

Brain-wave sensing machines have been used to telepathically control everything from real-life helicopters
to characters in a computer game.
Now the technology has gone a step further by allowing someone in India to send an email to his colleague
in France using nothing but the power of his mind.
The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) headsets to record electrical activity from neurons
firing in the brain, and convert the words hola and ciao into binary.

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Scientist transmits message into mind of colleague 5,000 miles away using brain waves | Mail Online

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The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) headsets w hich recorded
electrical activity from neurons firing in the brain to convert the w ords hola and
ciao into binary. In EEG, electrical currents in the brain are linked w ith different
thoughts that are then fed into a com puter interface

In EEG, electrical currents in the brain are linked with different thoughts that are then fed into a computer
interface. This computer analyses the signal and controls an action.
In the latest study, published in Plos One, researchers decided to replace the computer interface with
another brain to receive the signals.
In the initial test, the greeting was sent from a volunteer in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Strasbourg,
France.
There, a computer translated the message and then used electrical stimulation to implant it in the receivers
mind.
This message appeared as flashes of light in the corner of their vision.

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Scientist transmits message into mind of colleague 5,000 miles away using brain waves | Mail Online

In France, a com puter translated the m essage and then used electrical stim ulation to
im plant it in the receivers m ind that appeared as flashes of light in the corner of
their vision

The light appeared in sequences that allowed the receiver to decode the information in the message.
Researchers then conducted a similar experiment in which thoughts were successfully transmitted from two
participants, one in Spain and one in France.

SCIENCE BEHIND MIND CONTROL

The human brain is made up of billions of active neurons that have around 105,600 miles (170,000 km) of
combined length.
Every time you have a thought, your brain produces weak but distinct electrical signals corresponding to it.
The electrical impulse is generated by the chemical reaction between neurons, which can be measured.
Recording and deciphering those signals is called electroencephalography (EEG), and it has been
medically possible since 1924.
The second experiment resulted in a total error rate of just 15 per cent, with a 5 per cent on the encoding
side and roughly 11 per cent on the decoding.
The technology was developed as part of a collaboration between the University of Barcelona in Spain,
Axilum Robotics in France, Harvard Medical School and Starlab Barcelona in Spain.
According to the researchers, this is the first time humans have sent a message almost directly into each
others brains.
We anticipate that computers in the not-so-distant future will interact directly with the human brain in a
fluent manner, supporting both computer- and brain-to-brain communication routinely, they wrote.
Human-to-brain technology is also gaining traction. In May, German scientists showed how seven pilots
used mind control to fly with astonishing accuracy.
In a simulation, several of the pilots managed the landing approach under poor visibility, while one was able
to land a few metres from the runways central line.
Meanwhile, in June, University of Oregon researchers unveiled a device that claimed to be able to monitor
memories in near real time to see what a person is thinking.
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8/31/2014

Scientist transmits message into mind of colleague 5,000 miles away using brain waves | Mail Online

The receiver's brain (pictured) w as stim ulated (areas show n by dots) to see
sequences of light that could be decoded into a m essage. Researchers then
conducted a sim ilar experim ent in w hich thoughts w ere successfully transm itted
from tw o participants, one in Spain and one in France

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In the initial test, the greeting w as sent from a volunteer in Thiruvananthapuram ,
India to Strasbourg, France

Read more:
PLOS ONE: Conscious Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans Using Non-Invasive Technologies

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