Scientists achieve human 'mind meld' The team jokingly compared their experiment to the "mind melding" technique featured in Star Trek which allows Mr Spock to share thoughts and knowledge with others - although the Vulcan is able to do so using only his bare hands. But they added that the technology could in future lead to major advances, for example allowing a stroke victim to tell their carer when they are hungry or thirsty. Video contains no sound It could even be used to avert disasters, they claimed, for example allowing allowing a pilot at ground level to safely land a stricken aeroplane in an emergency by transmitting commands to a passenger or flight attendant. However, they emphasised that the system could only read and transmit simple brain signals and would not be capable of reading someone's thoughts. The technology also requires both parties to wear highly specialised equipment under finely tuned laboratory conditions, meaning it would be impossible to control someone's actions against their will, they added. The experiment, which was recorded on camera, reportedly took place on August 12 at the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Prof Rao sat in his lab wearing a special cap containing electrodes, which were linked to an electroencephalography machine - a device which is routinely used by doctors to non-invasively record patients' brain activity. Prof Rao was watching a computer screen displaying a simple game, and without actually moving, he imagined using his right hand to click a button which would fire a cannon at a target. Spok performs a Vulcan Mind Meld In his office on the other side of the campus Dr Stocco, who could not see the computer screen, suddenly pressed the space bar on his keyboard, scoring a direct hit. The impulse, which he compared to an involuntary nervous tic, was transmitted by a magnietic stimulation coil placed directly above his left motor cortex. Prof Rao said: "It was both exciting and eerie to watch an imagined action from my brain get translated into actual action by another brain. This was basically a one-way flow of information from my brain to his. The next step is having a more equitable two-way conversation directly between the two brains. However, the experiment was dismissed as a "publicity stunt" by independent researchers who criticised the team's decision to publish their work online without submitting it to an academic journal for peer review. A university spokeswoman admitted the move was "unusual" but said the team knew other researchers were working on similar projects and felt that "time was of the essence," according to Reuters.