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Stories filed under: "tdcs"
DailyDirt: Brain-Controlled Robots… And Vice Versa?
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
The general population might not be ready for brain implants for mind-controlled robots, but research on brain interfaces could eliminate the invasive surgery requirements for interacting directly with brain activity — and then everyone might be able to test drive their own thought-controlled robots. Becoming a cyborg might not appeal to everyone, but remote controlled robots that are easy to operate might be a cool toy.
- Next-generation prosthetic limbs will be controlled by a user’s thoughts. Some amputees are already testing prosthetic hands and limbs, and a few patients have reported being able to feel texture using devices that interface with remapped nerves. Modular Prosthetic Limbs (MPLs) have a long term goal of not requiring any surgeries or implants to control a dexterous robot, and the price tags will also need to come down from the half million dollar cost of the prototypes. [url]
- Mind-reading robots can help paralyzed patients interact with common objects more easily. Robot arms are getting much better, but the interface still requires a brain implant. [url]
- A startup called Thync is working on a wearable device that could control your mood using electronic signals to cranial nerves. This brain interface uses transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) which has been tested for treating depression and other medical uses, but this wearable would be used like an electrical replacement for caffeine or alcohol. [url]
After you’ve finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.
Filed Under: brain, brain implant, cyborg, hmi, neural interface, prosthetic limbs, robots, tdcs, trans-cranial direct current stimulation, wearables
DailyDirt: Boosting Brainpower
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
The plot of the classic science fiction short story, Flowers for Algernon has been adapted into a wide range of other stories, TV shows and movies. Upgrading a person’s intelligence through some unnatural means provides a temporary fix — resulting in an addiction to intelligence augmentation (or other complications). In reality, some colleges are starting to deal with students abusing drugs meant to treat ADHD but which also seem to increase mental focus in general. However, other methods that don’t use prescription medication to boost brainpower might be harder to regulate. Here are just a few links on the subject of boosting brainpower.
- The number of people playing around with trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is growing — because zapping your brain with a few volts seems harmless when the upside could be faster learning or relief from anxiety. People experimenting on themselves with about $20 worth of simple electronics could lead to some cool discoveries.. or a lobotomized population of internet users. [url]
- People use way more than 10% of their brain capacity. And 37% of all statistics are completely fabricated. [url]
- Bacteria that live in our intestines could have a significant influence on our brain chemistry. The microbes that live in our bodies are not well studied, but maybe someday researchers will try to engineer bacteria to symbiotically boost our brains. [url]
If you’d like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
Filed Under: adhd, brain, brainpower, flowers for algernon, intelligence, iq, microbiome, symbiosis, tdcs, trans-cranial direct current stimulation
DailyDirt: Better Learning Techniques (Maybe)
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
More education can be the uncontroversial answer to a lot of problems. But better education tends to bring up questions about what makes one educational approach better than another, and how “better” is measured or defined — and if the methods of measuring education can be trusted at all. The solutions for creating better teaching/learning techniques aren’t always effective, but as we learn more about our brains, maybe we’ll figure out how to manipulate our grey matter with more precision. Here are just a few links on how we might improve the way we inject knowledge into our heads.
- Maybe someday you can get better at math by connecting a few electrodes to your head, but for now, transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS) are experimental techniques that have shown at least some benefits for faster learning. However, TDCS has also exhibited some negative side effects — such as cognitive impairment. [url]
- A little electrical stimulation to the brain (aka transcranial direct current stimulation or TDCS) could help people learn complex tasks more quickly. The US Air Force and other military operations are already testing out this technique for its effectiveness in training pilots and soldiers. [url]
- There are a lot of myths about how students learn and what the most effective methods are. There are no “left-brained” or “right-brained” students. The Mozart Effect is temporary and essentially useless for any long-lasting effects to a student’s IQ. The science of education is actually not as clear cut as most students tend to believe. [url]
- Is the smell of grapefruit better for learning math? Can pleasant ambient noise improve test-taking performance? These kinds of questions seem to be prone to the Hawthorne Effect, but if performance actually does improve, educators will try it. [url]
If you’d like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
Filed Under: education, hawthorne effect, learning, mozart effect, tdcs, teaching, training, transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial random noise stimulation, trns
DailyDirt: I Want A New Drug…
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Many mind-altering drugs lead to trouble at some point. But what about treatments that help improve memory or intelligence? Forget those energy drinks, serious scientists are working on ways to improve memory and learning skills. Here are just a few examples.
- A protein named the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) seems to be correlated with exercise and improved memory. But exercise is hard, so there’ll be plenty of BDNF pills and ‘Flowers for Algernon’ situations to look forward to. [url]
- Taking drugs like Ritalin and caffeine might provide a temporary boost to mental abilities, but R&D efforts to discover a pill that permanently improves brain function are likely futile. Pharmaceutical companies benefit more from treatments rather than cures, anyway. [url]
- Air Force researchers have figured out a way to reduce training time by 50% — using mild electrical currents delivered to pilots’ heads. The technique uses transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), and the treated pilots have been reported to say, “I know Kung Fu” in a Keanu-like way. [url]
- To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what’s currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]
By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.
Filed Under: air force, bdnf, drugs, learning, memory, ritalin, tdcs, tms, transcranial direct current stimulation