The U.S. military wants to tap into its troops’ brains to raise alertness, reduce pain, and improve psychiatric well-being. Sounds like mind control? It is. DARPA, the Department of Defense’s research wing, has commissioned Arizona State University neuroscientist William Tyler to work on that project and further the Pentagon’s works in using the mind to prevent injuries, assess injuries, and reduce vulnerability to stress.
Much of Tyler’s research involves areas of the deep brain, where traditional ultrasound waves cannot penetrate. Doctors already have devised invasive ways to stimulating the deep brain with diseases like Parkinson’s and severe cases of depression, but those methods require surgery and electro-stimulation.
With Tyler’s new research, a new transcranial pulsed ultrasound was created so that scientists do not have to cut open the brain to stimulate it. These new ultrasound devices could potentially be placed in soldiers’ helmet and could target deep brain regions with high degrees of accuracy to control specific parts of the brain–within 2-3 mm.
According to Wired, “Using a microcontroller device, the ultrasound would stimulate different brain regions to boost troop alertness and cognition, relieve stress and pain, and protect them against traumatic brain injuries.”