Aussie Scientists Invent Real Thinking Cap
[Original headline: Thinking cap that makes you smarter]
It's a device mankind has always wanted a machine that makes the brain work better.
Two Australian scientists, Professor Allan Snyder and Dr Elaine Mulcahy, have devised a cap which can increase such creative abilities as drawing or writing.
"We had a breakthrough," Professor Snyder said yesterday. "We were aware that certain types of brain-damaged people have extraordinary skills in art, music, mathematics, memory, and I wanted to know if we could give rise to those extraordinary skills."
The cap uses magnetic pulses to stimulate certain brain waves.
It bypasses the "executive centres" or front part of the brain to access the creative areas.
"Most of the `eureka' moments come from the non-conscious parts of the brain," Professor Snyder said.
"It's like you're an executive and you only see one paragraph of a report, while others see the whole 50 pages.
"We're bypassing the bit that sees the paragraph and looking at the whole 50 pages. That's the best analogy."
For the research project, conducted at the Centre for the Mind in Sydney, volunteers wore the cap for 15 minutes and drew three pictures: one before stimulation, after nine minutes, and again after the full 15 minutes.
Many of the volunteers showed improved results after wearing the cap for 15 minutes.
"We've definitely shown that you can bypass the executive brain and do things we cannot normally do," Professor Snyder said.
Part of the cap's effect is to change the way its wearer views the world.
"These people with brain damage see the world the way it is," Professor Snyder said.
"We don't see the world the way it is, in a sense you're always prejudiced.
"This removes that prejudice it lets you explore the world anew."
The cap could be used to interact with computers or to create great works of art.
If a person wearing the cap is painting, pictures could be placed on the computer screen to inspire the artist.
Eventually, Professor Snyder sees thinking caps being used for everything from playing video games to interacting with computers.
"What we're trying to do is accelerate creative thinking," he said.
"Kids would be able to drive, play computer games, there are a number of applications."
He sees a world where computers and humans work together.
Story originally published by:
The Advertiser via news.com.au / Australia | Kate Murray - Mar 14.02
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