00:00 If I told you you could accelerate the pace at which you learn new things using science,
00:07 would you do it?
00:08 What if that included electric shocks to your brain?
00:11 Well that's exactly what scientists were looking to find out in a recent study and
00:15 it turns out it actually works.
00:17 They taught doctors how to use a new type of robotic surgery tools in virtual reality,
00:21 with one group doing so with only one electrical wave, essentially a placebo shock, while the
00:26 other received a targeted electrical current to their cerebellum throughout their learning
00:29 process.
00:30 What the researchers found was that not only did the group that received the continued
00:33 shock learn quicker, they learned how to control the robotic tool 50% quicker.
00:38 According to the researchers, quote, "The group that didn't receive stimulation struggled
00:42 a bit more to apply the skills they learned in virtual reality to the actual robot, especially
00:46 the most complex moves involving quick motions."
00:49 This new evidence corroborates previous studies, which showed a link between this type of brain
00:53 stimulation and motor learning in rehabilitation therapy.
00:57 And this could be a boon for learning in VR, as it has long been useful, but came with
01:00 limitations as real-world skills are hard to transfer without tactile feeling.
01:05 The researchers add this could be a boon to training real-world skills across myriad industries,
01:09 reducing the resources and time needed for building those skills.
01:14 [music]
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