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A thinking cap that can unlock the hidden genius in us all is being developed by scientists.
The device works by switching on and off certain sections of the brain and so unlocking its hidden potential.
The
hairnet-like cap uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain
works and has led to improved artistic ability, mathematical ability
and proof-reading skills.
If the technique is perfected, the device could be marketed as a cap slipped on to boost creativity and intellectual capacity.
The
technique is based on research into savants, like the Dustin Hoffman
character in the film Rainman, who have extraordinary abilities as well
as severe mental disability.
They act as if one parr of the brain has been sacrificed so that the other is more powerful.
The
cap can reproduce the same affect by careful targeting of the magnetic
pulses allows over or under-active parts of the brain to be calmed down
or jump-started.
Professor Allan Snyder at Sydney
University believes the experiments show we all have hidden talents, we
just have trouble tapping into them.
"I believe
that each of us has within us non-conscious machinery which can do
extraordinary art, extraordinary memory and extraordinary mathematical
calculations," he said.
"We don't normally access these skills because they are the machinery behind our daily lives and everything we do.
"My theory is that there is a lot happening and maybe you could see it by shutting off that conscious part of the brain."
His ultimate aim is to produce a thinking cap that would unleash creativity as and when required.
'Imagine if I could temporarily give you a child's look at the world,' he said.
The researchers used a cap equipped with magnetic coil to zap the left side of the brain.
This side generally sees the "bigger picture" and suppresses the detail-hoarding right side.
In
one experiment, volunteers were asked to draw a dog, horse or face from
memory before and after being zapped for ten to 15 minutes.
Four of the 11 volunteers produced more natural pictures after wearing the cap.
Two also spotted written mistakes in pieces of text that they'd overlooked earlier, a Royal Society conference heard on Monday.
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