Researchers at Duke University have successfully created the first instance of a brain-machine interface that utilizes multiple brains at once in order to operate a single machine.
The research was led by Miguel Nicolelis, who along with his group has been wiring animal brains to machines since 1999. Their first attempt at an organic/robotic fusion was connecting a rat to a robot arm, according to Wired.
To build the network, the team placed electodes in the brains of three monkeys in areas that dictate movement. Each monkey was then hooked up to a computer that controlled an image of a robotic arm, according to New Scientist. By synchronising their thoughts, the monkeys were able to move the arms and complete their objective - to reach a target.
The experiment then went on to the next stage by allowing each monkey to only control a single dimension. However, the monkeys still managed to complete their task by relaying information between one another. Nicolelis refered to this structure as a "brainet."
"They synchronise their brains and they achieve the task by creating a superbrain - a structure that is the combination of three brains," he said.
The study extended to rats as well. After 10 training sessions, they were able to transmit information about temperature and humidity to other rats that they were connected with through a shared brain-machine interface 61 percent of the time, according to Examiner.com.
Nicholelis believes that this brain activity can be used like a computer to perform tasks such as information storage and pattern recognition.
"We send a message to the brains, the brains incorporate that message, and we can retrieve the message later," he said.
This breakthrough has scientists around the country excited about how this "brainet" could be applied to humans. Surgeons could coordinate surgery together, mathematicians could visualize the solution to a problem together, and scientists could accelerate the rehabilitation of people suffering from neurological damage, almost like telepathy.
However, it will be some time before it becomes applicable to humans: Nicolelis' computers were monitoring almost 3,000 neurons in total among the rats, but the human brain has about 100 billion neurons each.
The full report was published on Nature.com.
