Rats can move objects in virtual reality using only their thoughts

Rats can move objects in virtual reality just by thinking of where they want them to go, thanks to an artificial intelligence that reads their intentions in the brain.

A mental map of our local surroundings is stored in a brain region called the hippocampus, which contains neurons called “place cells”. These cells fire different patterns of electrical impulses depending on where you are.

However, it has been unclear whether this activity in the hippocampus can be consciously controlled by imagining …