For our final 5-in-5 project, Anderson and I collaborated on an experiment concerning ESP. Inspired by Ganzfeld experiments and this recent interview with Matmos, we designed an experiment to answer the following questions: Can binary data be transmitted telepathically? If so, how accurately can it be transmitted? At what speed?

Here’s how the experiment works. The researcher (me) attempts to telepathically transmit eight bits of binary data (one byte) to the experiment subject. To help control for bias, the bits to be transmitted are generated at random at the beginning of each experiment, and the researcher and the subject are located in different rooms while the experiment takes place. The bits are communicated sequentially; a series of timed tones, under the control of the researcher, regulates data transmission (letting the subject know when to move on to the next byte).

Our experiment today incorporated eight subjects, each of which attempted to receive eight bits of information. The total amount of attempted information transmission was eight bytes.

Here I am, trying to visualize and communicate zeroes and ones

Our colleague Vikram tries his hardest to read my mind.

Check after the jump for the results. Also make sure to check out 5-in-5 Guest Star Andrew Schneider’s first-person documentation of being an experimental subject.

Results

The above graph shows our results. Out of 64 bits, 36 (or 56%) were transmitted accurately. One subject (5-in-5er Kristin O’Friel) managed to accurately receive seven out of eight bits. The average experiment lasted about ninety seconds (from the beginning of the first bit to the end of the last), yielding a data transmission rate of 0.08 bits per second.

The following diagrams are a graphic representation of the data that was transmitted and received. Each row of squares in the diagram corresponds to one subject.

Image of the bits sent

Image of the bits as received by subjects

Image of correct bits (green = accurate transmission, red = inaccurate transmission)

Here’s the worksheet that we gave to our subjects to record their reception of the data. Use this worksheet at home to replicate our experiment.

Future Directions

While our experiment was neither rigorous nor precise, we are nonetheless encouraged by the relatively high accuracy (6% greater than chance) found in our results. We’re confident that the low speed of transmission—several million times slower than a typical WiFi connection—can be mitigated with training and disciplined practice. Eventually, the telepathic transmission of data could bring low-cost wireless network connections to many hard-to-reach places, while avoiding the controversial (empirically detectable) radiation associated with mobile phones and WiFi.