Scientist invents a Thinking Cap!

I wonder if they come in tinfoil?

'Thinking cap' makes brain waves in Australia

The device, which consists of two conductors fastened to the head by a rubber strap, significantly boosted results in a simple arithmetic test, they said.

Three times as many people who wore the "thinking cap" were able to complete the test, compared to those who did not use the equipment. Sixty people took part in total.

Allan Snyder, director of the University of Sydney's Centre for the Mind, said the device worked by suppressing the left side of the brain, associated with knowledge, and stimulating the right side, linked to creativity.

He said goal was to suppress mental templates gathered through life experiences to help users see problems and situations as they really appear, rather than through the prism of earlier knowledge.

Snyder added that the work was inspired by accident victims who experienced a sudden surge in creativity after damaging the left side of their brains.

Psyorg.com Weird, that link 404'd right after I posted this.

Here's another link to the same story. Hope it lasts.

Canada.com


So these mad scientists are zapping the left side of the brain out of commission temporarily (we hope) in order to make people see things more creatively. I wonder if it hurts?

I also wonder; if they put it on you backwards, would it make a person more logical? Maybe it would suppress the emotions. That would come in handy when the government decides to sic our military on their own friends and families. Of course that's just speculation on my part but, its still something to watch out for with this type of tech.



ETA: I just clicked on the Psyorg.com link and its working again. I think those guys have it out for me.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Perhaps they should wear it themselves. It might make them more intelligent and reliable.

On second thoughts.......

I wonder why MRI machines don't do a similar thing to both hemispheres simultaneously. I mean, it is a pulsed field and at a significantly higher gauss.

reply to post by FortAnthem


This is brilliant!

Yet another well meaning device thats principals can be manipulated to control a population.

If perfected they will immediately go into entertainment devices where all of the sudden due to electrical interference of the brain you will be able to enjoy 10 fold the audio visual entertainment being presented to you! And also while your logic center is subdued we can implant some nice subliminal suggestions.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
That would come in handy when the government decides to sic our military on their own friends and families. Of course that's just speculation on my part but, its still something to watch out for with this type of tech.

Oh crap!! I was just enjoying this post until you said the quote above. How in the world do you think our military would hurt those that they took an oath to protect? As a former member of the US Military, I take offense to this. Give me some proof that any member of our military will sic themselves on their own friends and family by order of anyone, even if in the chain of command. Good post up until you p***** me off.

reply to post by tsawyer2


I could be wrong but I think the OP was saying that our military would NOT attack friends and family without some serious machinery messing up their brains. I would go even further to say that most of the
military all the way to the top would not allow this and if someone was trying to get soldiers to wear brain messing gear it would have to be cleverly disguised as something else...

Originally posted by tsawyer2

Originally posted by FortAnthem
That would come in handy when the government decides to sic our military on their own friends and families. Of course that's just speculation on my part but, its still something to watch out for with this type of tech.

Oh crap!! I was just enjoying this post until you said the quote above. How in the world do you think our military would hurt those that they took an oath to protect? As a former member of the US Military, I take offense to this. Give me some proof that any member of our military will sic themselves on their own friends and family by order of anyone, even if in the chain of command. Good post up until you p***** me off.

I was just wondering what could happen if they turned that thing around and suppressed the right side of the brain instead. If the hat takes away creative thinking and suppresses emotions, it could turn our soldiers into unfeeling robots who would feel nothing when they kill their loved ones.

I'm not suggesting our soldiers would ever do something like this unless the government used some type of mind control device on them. I was just pointing out a potential negative aspect of this tech.

reply to post by chr0naut

Oops should have read the article in full first. I was thinking that this worked by using an intense magnetic field like the experiments that caused people to have religious epiphanies.

This one uses an applied electrical current.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Nefarious applications of this technology:

-- Entertainment devices designed to enhance pleasure (and allow subliminal message implants)
-- Safety helmets that enhance concentration for safer operating (that will allow the 'daredevil' trait to be sucked out hurt people who take chances)
-- Military helmets that allow soldiers enhance focus and concentration as well as pain abatement (and blindly follow orders)
-- Headsets that curb emotional response for customer service operators (and create perfect labor drones)

Thats just me in 10 minutes, imagine what a really smart nasty person could come up with! This technology if perfected will need to watched closely.

OK..I see your point and am happy you all agree that no one in the Military would dare use this technology. Now as for the tech itself...could be put to good use...or could be very scary in the wrong hands.

I used to do that without the cap.

But it's illegal and I'm not allowed to say how

*cough cough her*chough b*

reply to post by Jinglelord


It would be easy to hide the device but I imagine that the action would appear rather like Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT).

reply to post by badw0lf


Yes but it can also cause paranoia (your method, I mean).

reply to post by chr0naut


See now I wouldn't think they would have to hide it. I think you just advertise one benefit and leave out the true purpose. I would imagine that it could be like ECT but at lower power without actually causing major physical response other than the flow of brainwaves.

Ultimately your brain functions off of electrical signals and if directed correctly with the right kind of electricity it shouldn't take enough to actually shock you to effect brain function.

reply to post by Jinglelord


Yes but to get even small currents to your brain, it has to go through scalp, skull & meninges. These are all conductors and so you'd have to apply a larger current to get a minor one through your synapses.

Originally posted by Jinglelord
reply to post by chr0naut

 

See now I wouldn't think they would have to hide it. I think you just advertise one benefit and leave out the true purpose. I would imagine that it could be like ECT but at lower power without actually causing major physical response other than the flow of brainwaves.

Ultimately your brain functions off of electrical signals and if directed correctly with the right kind of electricity it shouldn't take enough to actually shock you to effect brain function.

True, it is done with millivolts or even picovolts. Very similar devices were for sale in the US until about the mid 1980s when the FDA banned them. Such devices are powered by a simple 9v battery or maybe two. They were very good for inducing the low frequency states of alpha and theta for meditation. With a little practice in meditation and augmented by the devices, enlightenment could be had relatively easily. --I expect few will believe that statement, however. Does it damage the brain? Humm. Let me think about that for awhile. OK, ask my kids.

reply to post by chr0naut


I'm no neurosurgeon or brain expert and know about as much as a few lower level college anatomy and biology courses will teach you but I don't suspect it would take a lot of current to interrupt brain function, especially if it was continuous rather than a pulse here and there.