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"Study paves way for personnel such as drone operators to have electrical pulses sent into their brains to improve effectiveness in high pressure situations"
US military scientists have used electrical brain stimulators to enhance mental skills of staff, in research that aims to boost the performance of air crews, drone operators and others in the armed forces' most demanding roles.
The successful tests of the devices pave the way for servicemen and women to be wired up at critical times of duty, so that electrical pulses can be beamed into their brains to improve their effectiveness in high pressure situations.
The brain stimulation kits use five electrodes to send weak electric currents through the skull and into specific parts of the cortex. Previous studies have found evidence that by helping neurons to fire, these minor brain zaps can boost cognitive ability.
The technology is seen as a safer alternative to prescription drugs, such as modafinil and ritalin, both of which have been used off-label as performance enhancing drugs in the armed forces.
But while electrical brain stimulation appears to have no harmful side effects, some experts say its long-term safety is unknown, and raise concerns about staff being forced to use the equipment if it is approved for military operations.
Others are worried about the broader implications of the science on the general workforce because of the advance of an unregulated technology.
[...] In 2014 another Oxford scientist, Roi Cohen Kadosh, warned that while brain stimulation could improve performance at some tasks, it made people worse at others. In light of the work, Kadosh urged people not to use brain stimulators at home.
Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/07/us-military-successfully-tests-electrical-brain-stimulation-to-enhance-staff-skills
https://web.archive.org/web/20161107205930/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/07/us-military-successfully-tests-electrical-brain-stimulation-to-enhance-staff-skills
Research Article:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00589/abstract
https://web.archive.org/web/20161108040752/http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00589/abstract
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday November 09 2016, @11:24PM
> Kadosh urged people not to use brain stimulators at home
I would have said: "do not use on non-legally-consenting parties".
I'm all for allowing people who believe in pseudo-science (or extrapolate tiny findings) to blow up their own brains in peace.
The home version of the machine should come with a discount for the closest ambulance and mortuary services. And an exponential control dial which goes to 11, with a clear warning and a safety to make it impossible to accidentally get past 7.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 09 2016, @11:27PM
> I would have said: "do not use on non-legally-consenting parties".
You can't consent if you don't know what the consequences are.
Its like asking someone which door they want to open without telling them that behind one of them is a homicidal maniac.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 10 2016, @05:31PM
> Kadosh urged people not to use brain stimulators at home
I would have said: "do not use on non-legally-consenting parties".
I'm all for allowing people who believe in pseudo-science (or extrapolate tiny findings) to blow up their own brains in peace.
The home version of the machine should come with a discount for the closest ambulance and mortuary services. And an exponential control dial which goes to 11, with a clear warning and a safety to make it impossible to accidentally get past 7.
This is advice, not legally binding. Kadosh is telling people that it would be really stupid to try something this without proper knowledge and safety protocols in place. However, his words do not have force of law, and if somebody wants to try things out on themselves, they of course can. As such, I have no problem with a scientist urging people to do whatever (so long as it had no negative impact to other people).
Second... are you really so callous that you wouldn't give people the best advice you can? To use your analogy, I think most people would happily "urge" other people to "not stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger." Obviously if somebody wants to commit suicide they can (give or take certain laws), but merely saying "do not shoot non-legally-consenting parties" seems somehow insufficient even for even the most libertarian-leaning people.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday November 10 2016, @05:38PM
> are you really so callous that you wouldn't give people the best advice you can?
Wrong week for that. People do stupid shit regardless of how many times they're told about consequences.
So you tell them not to hurt someone else who's unfit to consent, and you make sure to provide them the means to hurt themselves properly. What's the title again?