(NaturalNews) The convergence of real life with controlled virtual reality has moved one step closer to fruition. Scientists from North Carolina have figured out a way to network the brains of multiple animals to form what they call “living computers” capable of performing advanced tasks and solving complex problems, of which a single brain on its own would be incapable.

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham say they’ve successfully harnessed the power of three monkey brains to create a “superhuman” brain, of sorts, with the capacity to process and interpret abstract thoughts and experiences. Individuals will one day have access to this brain-machine interface, say researchers, allowing them to control machines and prosthetic limbs using just their thoughts.

When Miguel Nicolelis and his team linked the brains of the three monkeys together and hooked them up to an animated screen portraying a robotic arm, he discovered that they could collectively control the arm to reach a predetermined target using just their minds. Despite the fact that monkeys lack the same level of cognition as humans, they were able to think together to reach this desired outcome.

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