University of Washington researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with researcher Rajesh Rao able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of fellow researcher Andrea Stocco.

Rao wore a cap with electrodes hooked up to an electroencephalography machine, which reads electrical activity in the brain. On the other side of the university campus, Stocco wore a magnetic stimulation coil over his left motor cortex, which controls hand movement. Rao looked at a computer screen and played a simple video game with his mind; when he was supposed to fire at a target, he imagined moving his right hand to hit the "fire" button. Almost instantaneously, Stocco's right index finger moved involuntarily to hit the “fire” button.

(University of Washington) 


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