Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Swimmer's Daily
    • Home
    • Blog
    • Timeline
    • Tags
    • Sitemap
    • About
    • Contact
    Facebook Twitter YouTube Tumblr
    Swimmer's Daily
    Home»Science»DARPA zaps snipers’ brains to induce flow, cut down training time
    Science

    DARPA zaps snipers’ brains to induce flow, cut down training time

    rokurBy rokurFebruary 7, 20121 Comment2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Interesting article here on NewScientist, on how (mad?) scientists are learning to harness “flow”, by telling for instance swimmers to focus on the water’s movement around their limbs, rather than on the limbs. And by running electricity through the brain.

    Weisend, who is working on a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programme to accelerate learning, has been using this form of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to cut the time it takes to train snipers. From the electrodes, a 2-milliamp current will run through the part of my brain associated with object recognition – an important skill when visually combing a scene for assailants.

    Sniper School

    The mild electrical shock is meant to depolarise the neuronal membranes in the region, making the cells more excitable and responsive to inputs. Like many other neuroscientists working with tDCS, Weisend thinks this accelerates formation of new neural pathways during the time that someone practises a skill. The method he is using on me boosted the speed with which wannabe snipers could detect a threat by a factor of 2.3 (Experimental Brain Research, vol 213, p 9).

    Mysteriously, however, these long-term changes also seem to be preceded by a feeling that emerges as soon as the current is switched on and is markedly similar to the flow state. “The number one thing I hear people say after tDCS is that time passed unduly fast,” says Weisend. Their movements also seem to become more automatic; they report calm, focused concentration – and their performance improves immediately.

    Image courtesy of Chuck Holton, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

    Related

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    rokur
    • Website

    Production engineer and certified swim coach. Full-time IT consultant, spare-time swimming aficionado. 2 sons, 2 daughters and a wife. President of the Faroe Islands Swimming Association. Likes to run :-)

    Related Posts

    New Spinal Implant Allows 3 Paralyzed Men to Stand, Walk and Swim Again | Global News

    February 11, 2022

    Swimming: Is Taller Better? | Global Triathlon Network

    February 9, 2022

    Swimming Australia – Making Gold Medalists With Machine Learning | Amazon Web Services

    August 14, 2021

    1 Comment

    1. Pingback: Flow krijgen. Hoe? | Project Leven

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Sponsor
    Top Posts
    • How Long After Adding Stabilizer Can I Swim?
      How Long After Adding Stabilizer Can I Swim?
    • 10 Worst Shark Attacks Ever Recorded
      10 Worst Shark Attacks Ever Recorded
    • US Olympic Artistic Swimmer Anita Alvarez on Race in Her Sport | uInterview
      US Olympic Artistic Swimmer Anita Alvarez on Race in Her Sport | uInterview
    • Us Artistic Swimmer Rescued by Coach After Fainting in Pool | BBC News
      Us Artistic Swimmer Rescued by Coach After Fainting in Pool | BBC News
    • The Eternal Lie of the Pools That Turn Blue If You Pee in Them
      The Eternal Lie of the Pools That Turn Blue If You Pee in Them
    • Until Fairly Recently, The YMCA Actually Required Swimmers To Be Nude
      Until Fairly Recently, The YMCA Actually Required Swimmers To Be Nude
    • Hundreds of Swimming Teachers Urgently Needed After Pandemic | 9 News Australia
      Hundreds of Swimming Teachers Urgently Needed After Pandemic | 9 News Australia
    • Naked Swimmers Run Into Chilly Waters in 3C Temperatures at Nude Solstice Swim | The Sun
      Naked Swimmers Run Into Chilly Waters in 3C Temperatures at Nude Solstice Swim | The Sun
    • Caeleb Dressel And Wife Reflect On Their Emotional Video Call After Olympic Win | Access
      Caeleb Dressel And Wife Reflect On Their Emotional Video Call After Olympic Win | Access
    • Why Tommy Little Has Decided to Swim 92KM From the U.K. To Belgium & Where He Will Keep His Passport | The Project
      Why Tommy Little Has Decided to Swim 92KM From the U.K. To Belgium & Where He Will Keep His Passport | The Project
    Countdown to Budapest 2022June 18, 2022
    The big day is here.
    Countdown to Rome 2022August 11, 2022
    48 days to go.
    Categories
    Buffer Overflow
    Tweets by swimmersdaily
    • RSS - Posts
    • RSS - Comments
    Contact Info & Hours
    Swimmer's Daily
    c/o Rókur í Jákupsstovu
    Brekkuvegur 10
    FO-650 Toftir
    Faroe Islands
    Mobile +298 219754
    [email protected]
    09:00-21:00 UTC/GMT
    Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 5,085 other subscribers

    Meta
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Facebook Twitter YouTube Tumblr
    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.