Researcher Controls Another Person's Brain Over the Internet

Re:Researcher Controls Another Person's Brain Over the Internet by csense on Saturday October 19, 2013 @05:18AM (#6575867)

Can this technology write to the thinking parts of the brain?

If the answer is "yes," then this can augment human thinking capabilities -- the rest is just improving bitrates of the human <-> computer channel and writing better software. Both of which are challenging and rewarding research areas, to be sure. But they sound a lot more like straightforward engineering with predictable improvements from research investment, rather than requiring basic research / fundamental discoveries.

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Re:Researcher Controls Another Person's Brain Over the Internet by pygy_ on Saturday October 19, 2013 @07:03AM (#6575991)

No, see my other comment.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a very blunt tool, and, in this case, the "mind reading" is really a binary switch that is triggered by thinking of something that produces a broad, easily detectable EEG pattern.

At best, repetitive TMS (rTMS) can bee used to temporarily make a brain area more or less active.

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Re:Researcher Controls Another Person's Brain Over the Internet by azinman2 on Saturday October 19, 2013 @04:06PM (#6577601)

Gotta prove the concept and start somewhere....

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Re:Researcher Controls Another Person's Brain Over the Internet by pygy_ on Saturday October 19, 2013 @05:34PM (#6577953)

That's just a publicity stunt, the methods used will not lead anywhere.

This is akin to lighting a fire in a jar and claiming you're on the way to invent television.

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