Soldiers might be able to control weapons with minds

A report by Royal Society, U.K.’s national academy of science, shows the possible benefits of neuroscience to military and law enforcement. It describes military and law enforcement uses of neuroscience.

The most remarkable possible scenarios involves the use of devices called brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to connect people’s brains directly to military technology like drones and weapons.

The work builds on research that has enabled people to control cursors and artificial limbs through BMIs that read their brain signals.

“Since the human brain can process images, such as targets, much faster than the subject is consciously aware of, a neurally interfaced weapons system could provide significant advantages over other system control methods in terms of speed and accuracy,” the report states.

Furthermore the report shows how neuroscientists employed transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to improve people’s ability to spot roadside bombs, snipers and other hidden threats in a virtual reality training program used by U.S. troops bound for the Middle East.

“Those who had tDCS learned to spot the targets much quicker,” said Vince Clark, a cognitive neuroscientist and lead author on the study at the University of New Mexico. “Their accuracy increased twice as fast as those who had minimal brain stimulation.”

Authors also stress the ethical and legal concerns that surround the use of BMIs by the military.

“If you are controlling a drone and you shoot the wrong target or bomb a wedding party, who is responsible for that action? Is it you or the BMI?” says Rod Flower, a professor of pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and the London hospital.

“There’s a blurring of the line between individual responsibility and the functioning of the machine. Where do you stop and the machine begin?”