Remote Control People
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation: What is it?
Despite its crazy name, galvanic vestibular stimulation is actually pretty interesting. Its a process that allows a persons movements to be influenced in a similar fashion to controling a model airplane. The name broken down, has a pretty literal meaning however the implications are more far reaching. Galvanic means loosely "involving a direct current of electricity" and the vestibular part is referring to part of your inner ear that controls balance. Galvanic vestibular stimulation is essentialy a process where a mild electrical current is applied to the skin directly behind the ear. The electricity travels to a specific nerve bundle that conducts electricity in that frequency range, and information is received. The electrical pattern received cause shifts in the persons balance, actually directing their movements. GVS has been demonstrated in tasks from controlling the eye movements of an person, to directing users through a maze via remote conrol, and even taking over voluntary motor control.
Now while I realize that large companies investing incredible amounts of money into developing ways to influence the actions of people may be a bit far fetched. However, the technology was actually developed by a phone company! Why would a phone company spend so much money inventing ways to use their access to the human ear to control people like they were robots? Curious.
I suppose one can imagine a positive side to the technology. If you were to reverse the process, sensing the electrical pattern instead of imposing one, you would open up a number of possibilities. This could allow a user to control external objects by monitoring these same electrical patterns and utilizing them as controller data. If GVS can control eye movements by imposing data, then sensing the electrical patterns caused by natural eye movements could be used as controller data for say, military targeting systems in aircraft. Not that a military application is exactly a positive side to the technology but I think you get the point.
It may also be safe to say they could create one hell of a video game with this. Read more below.
Read a slightly more sensational story about galvanic vestibular stimulation from Forbes.com