Direct Brain-to-Brain Communication via the Internet

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A groundbreaking study from the University of Washington has opened the possibility of brain-to-brain communication over the Internet. Researchers at the university successfully transmitted signals from one person’s brain to another person’s brain over the network, marking a major milestone in neuroscience and opening up new opportunities for human-machine communication technologies.

This study was conducted in two laboratories located one mile apart at the University of Washington, with the participation of five pairs of volunteers. Each pair participated in a question-and-answer game, where the brain signals of the first participant were converted into digital signals, transmitted over the Internet, and received by the second participant. Although the experiment did not achieve perfect accuracy, the results showed that 72% of the answers from the volunteer pairs were correct.

“Although the results are not perfect, this experiment has created a major breakthrough in transmitting brain signals over the network,” the research team at the University of Washington noted in a report published in November 2023 (University of Washington, 2023).

One of the key aspects of this study is that the scientists are not only transmitting simple signals but are also testing the transmission of more complex brain states. This could lead to new applications in medicine, such as treating neurological disorders or improving communication for those who have lost the ability to communicate due to illness or accidents.

The researchers are also exploring the transmission of other brain states, such as emotions or consciousness. The long-term goal of the team is to develop a system where people can directly share information between brains without the need for traditional communication methods like language or gestures. This opens up potential applications in fields such as neuromedicine, non-verbal communication, and even education.

“Direct brain-to-brain connectivity over the Internet will not only help people communicate more effectively but could also change the way we approach education and scientific problems in the future,” the research team at the University of Washington stated (University of Washington, 2023).

An interesting question arises: Could this technology enable people to directly share thoughts, emotions, and knowledge without needing words or gestures? While many challenges remain, these advances suggest that the future of brain technology and communication may develop in ways that we can currently only imagine. With these achievements, we are getting closer to fundamentally changing how humans communicate and understand one another in the future.