Brain-to-Brain Interfaces Possible? Telepathy Study Connects Human Brains Via The Internet

A new telepathy experiment linked human brains using the internet. It might show that brain-to-brain interfaces may finally be possible.

Researchers at the University of Washington conducted an experiment that connected human brains together via the internet. A non-invasive cap linked to an electroencephalography (EEG) machine and a magnetic coil were used to connect the brains of two human participants through the internet as well as record brain activity. The EEG machine was further connected to the respondent to transmit thoughts, which during the experiment rendered yes or no questions, through the internet to the magnetic roll of the inquirer, Immortal wrote.

The coil behind the head of the inquirer would create a response that stimulates the visual cortex if the person transmitted a yes answer from the respondent to the inquirer. As a result of the stimulation, the inquirer would see a phosphene, or a spot, ring or wavy line because of the direct stimulation of the visual system from sources other than light. The participants were separated by almost one mile during the study and went through a total of 20 rounds. 10 were real tests while the other half were control tests where an undetectable plastic spacer was inserted to weaken the magnetic field to stop generating phosphenes. The group also stated that they exercised measures to ensure that the participants could not use other clues to go through the rounds.

Andrea Stocco, lead author and an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington, said that the recent brain-to-brain experiment is the most complex to have been carried out on human subjects.

“It uses conscious experiences through signals that are experienced visually, and it requires two people to collaborate,” said Stocco in a report by Eureka Alert.

A University of Washington press release also mentioned that the same time is also working on the transmission of brain states. Study co-author Chantel Prat speculated on the possibilities and asked people to imagine a situation where the brain of a person with ADHD is placed into a state of greater attention automatically, while a non-ADHD person is paying attention.

Newsweek claimed that the experiment suggested the possibility of mind reading. In 2013, the group was the first to demonstrate a direct brain-to-brain connection between human beings. In 2014, it received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to continue their research and experiment.

The findings of the experiment were published in the journal PLOS ONE.