This month, researchers Rajesh Rao and Andrea Stocco of the University of Washington have successfully demonstrated brain-to-brain communication between two human beings. Using an EKG machine, a magnetic stimulation coil and Skype, Rao was able to send a brain signal to Stocco, causing Stocco to involuntarily move his right index finger. This is a groundbreaking development, especially for those who wish to one day have mind-control powers.

Rajesh Rao is a computer science professor at the University of Washington who spent years studying BCI, or brain-computer interfacing. During his research, Rao believed he could achieve human brain to human brain interfacing. Partnering with psychology professor, Andrea Stocco, the two decided to “hook up”, if you will, via their brains. (Let’s just hope one didn’t give the other Pa’nar Syndrome, if you know what I mean…) Rao hooked himself up to an EKG machine, or an electroencephalography machine – a device that reads electrical activity in the brain. Across the University of Washington campus, Stocco put a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil directly over his left motor cortex. (Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is a non-invasive may to send signals to the brain to get you to do something, depending on where the coil is placed. So, let’s say the coil were placed on top of your premotor cortex, the neurons in that part of your brain would be activated. As a result, you may suddenly twist your body or start doing situps, depending on my understanding of how the brain works.)

The two labs on campus created a network connection via Skype. Yes, Skype. The same program you use to make googly eyes at your niece.

Once Rao and Stocco were hooked up to their respective devices and they were logged into Skype, a video game was set up in front of Stocco in his lab. Without the video game in the other lab, Rao started playing the game in his mind. As a result, he was actually able to control the movements of Stocco’s right hand. Using his mind, Rao got Stocco to hit the spacebar on his computer, firing a shot in the game. There wasn’t any details as to whether the two won the game or not, but that’s not really important.

According to Science Daily, “Stocco compared the feeling of his hand moving involuntarily to that of a nervous tic.”

While Rao and Stocco say we’re far from the type of mind control we see in the movies, let’s just take into consideration that maybe someone is telling them to say that.

Source: Science Daily