TECH

Drones controlled by the mind? Pentagon wants to test human telepathy technology

A Pentagon agency charged with developing a new technology for the United States Armed Forces says it is only a few years away from the start of human testing of a headset that gives its carriers telepathic powers.
Professor Jacob Robinson of Rice University, coordinator of the research team of the Advanced Defense Research Projects Agency (DARPA), told Express newspaper that the brain-computer interface (BCI) would be able to telepathically command "active defense systems cybernetics "as well as" groups of unmanned vehicles ".
The researcher noted that technology would remove the "latency of communication" between mind and body.
"There is a delay between my thinking and the movement of the muscles needed to interact with the external world. So the idea is if we can communicate from the brain to the outside world without having to move a muscle, then we could have much more communication fast with external devices, "he explained.
DARPA expects to begin testing futuristic technology in humans over the next four years. A major hurdle, according to Robinson, is receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The professor emphasized that the headset would not be for military use only.
"After clinical trials, we can imagine consumer products being developed involving a traditional transition and these development times can range from 10 to 20 years," he said.
Robinson acknowledged that there is always "additional concern" when the US government develops technologies that have the potential to be misused but insisted there are rules to ensure that its research does not violate ethical standards.
"For neural technology, in particular, there are a set of guidelines that the community is developing, called ethical-neural standards. And as we develop this technology, we are in constant contact with ethical experts [how] to protect this technology of misuse, "he said.
The development of mind control technology has become a central focus for DARPA. The Pentagon announced in February that it was accepting proposals for "next-generation neurotechnology" to help reinforce its pre-existing neural interface research.
The agency has invested heavily in brain technologies since 2013 when it launched its BRAIN initiative (brain research through the advancement of innovative neurotechnologies), which consists of several programs dedicated to making "breakthrough" advances in neuroscience. S. N.