An American 'super warrior': Pentagon's latest spooky idea

US soldiers' brains could be hooked up via the internet so they can act on orders without thinking

A simulation of a brain probe
(Image credit: Nasa)

Prepare yourselves for the latest idea from the folks who brought you Predator drones, Stealth jet fighters and the internet: mind control.

The Pentagon – or, to be precise, the Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (Darpa) – is spending a fortune on a programme whereby cybernetic implants can be inserted into the brains of soldiers and veterans in order to “read” their moods. Using the internet, remote signals could then be sent to correct those moods.

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Charles Laurence is a US correspondent for The Week.co.uk. He is a former New York bureau chief for The Daily Telegraph. He divides his time between Manhattan and Woodstock, upstate New York.