Be the First
Thanks to UW professor of computer science and engineering Rajesh Rao, who serves as the lead author on the team’s latest study, “great minds think alike” is no longer just a phrase, but a fact.
Explore the UW
- Read more about the research on UW Today
- Institute of Learning & Brain Sciences
- Read a Scientific American article by Rao and Stocco about possible uses of sending thoughts directly between brains.
Rajesh Rao
Andrea Stocco
Chantel Prat
The noninvasive technology — which currently allows one person’s brain to control another person’s hand motions from miles away via transmissions sent over the Internet — is rapidly changing the field.
Next up? Putting a $1 million W.M. Keck Foundation grant toward further developing brain-to-brain technology to one day transmit complex ideas and thoughts.
“The new study brings our brain-to-brain interfacing paradigm from an initial demonstration to something that is closer to a deliverable technology,” said co-author Andrea Stocco, assistant professor of psychology and researcher at UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
The project could also eventually lead to “brain tutoring,” in which knowledge is transferred directly from the brain of a teacher to a student.
Imagine someone who’s a brilliant scientist but not a brilliant teacher. Complex knowledge is hard to explain
– we’re limited by language.
– Co-author Chantel Prat, assistant professor of psychology and researcher at UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences