Researchers have shown in practice that stimulating the brain can speed up learning. Matthew Phillips and his team at Malibu-based HRL Labs used a brain-computer interface with transcranial DC stimulation to broadcast recorded brainwave patterns to six newcomer commercial and military pilots.
The influence on the brain of beginners was carried out through a rubber cap with built-in electrodes. This method of non-invasive electroencephalography is widely used in research on the study of brain activity and allows you to influence the brain through the bones of the skull.
Photo: HRL Laboratories. Illustration by John Enete.
Phillips and his team recruited 32 volunteers (all right-handed) to study. For four days in a row, they trained in basic flight exercises - including takeoff, climb, controlled landing, aircraft landing in various conditions (for example, at night or in turbulence).
During the exercises, some aspiring pilots received brain stimulation in the manner and likeness of brain waves recorded from experienced pilots. The rest of the participants received not real, but illusory stimulation.
When analyzing the results, the researchers found that people whose brains were stimulated performed better than the dummy control group. Transcranial DC stimulation improved their piloting ability by 33%.
“As we learn more about optimizing, personalizing and adapting brain stimulation, we will likely be able to develop technology that will become a familiar way to quickly learn new knowledge and skills,” says Phillips. "It is possible that brain stimulation will be used when learning a foreign language or teaching driving."
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