A project at the University of Manchester is using a VR Game to look for evidence of telepathy. Their question is not a new one: are the synchronicities of intent and action comprising 'collective intelligence' as much a result of extra-sensory phenomena as mechanised and/or 'natural' messaging systems? Are meme's more mobile that we think (pun intended)?
Approximately 100 participants will take part in the experiment which aims to test whether telepathy exists between individuals using the system. The project will also look at how telepathic abilities may vary depending on the relationships which exist between participants.
The test is carried out using two volunteers who could be friends, work colleagues or family. They are placed in separate rooms on different floors of the same building to eliminate any possibility of communication.
Participants enter the virtual environment by donning a head-mounted 3D display and an electronic glove which they use to navigate their way through the computer generated world.
More proof that science can be thought of as the practice of creating metaphors and then taking them literally.. NB: Yes, this project ranks high on our may-be-a-spoof metric. Via /.
