Brain-to-brain communication: Could language become unnecessary? It may sound far-fetched, but this kind of application is exactly what the experts behind the latest study into brain-to-brain communication have in mind for the future. The research, conducted by scientists from the University of Washington and co-funded by the US Army Research Office, consisted of connecting the brains of three pairs of test subjects via the internet. One member of each pair was watching a screen showing a computer game, in which their task was to protect a city under attack from pirates by launching rockets aimed at the assailants" ship. The touchpad that controlled the rockets, however, was located in a dark room half a mile away, directly below their teammate's hand. In order to transfer the intention to move from one brain to another, the sender was hooked up to an electroencephalography machine, a device which picks up brain activity. These electrical pulses were then transmitted via the web to the receiver, who was fitted with magnetic head gear designed to stimulate the part of the brain responsible for controlling hand movements. Via this set-up, signals from one participant's brain could produce a twitch in their partner's hand which could activate the virtual cannon (and destroy the pirates). Student and guinea pig Jose Ceballos is ready to receive the signal from across campus. Mary Levin, University of Washington. Despite the fact that the receiver was not able to see the computer game, the hit rate achieved by the three pairs ranged between 25 and 83 per cent. The researchers believe that the success of their experiments means brain-to-brain communication could soon be put to use in daily life. "The new study brings our brain-to-brain interfacing paradigm from an initial demonstration to something that is closer to a deliverable technology," said co-author Dr Andrea Stocco in a statement. The research team hope to develop their techniques in order to make transfer of more complex information possible; including direct conveyance of thoughts and concepts. Eventually, they believe their work could lead to the dawn of "brain tutoring," where the limitations of language are bypassed in favour of direct transmission of knowledge from one person's brain to another.