The U.S. Navy reports "promising signs" in a recent series of tests involving "transcranial electrical stimulation" on volunteers from the famous SEAL Team Six, and will continue with brain experiments intended to make U.S. soldiers better killing machines.

The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM), which commands SEAL Team six and other SEAL teams, said five Navy Seal units tested transcranial electrical stimulation in 2016. This brain technology directly stimulates the cranium with electrical signals to enhance mental and physical performance in soldiers.

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The device made by Halo Neuroscience is a $749 headset that looks like a regular headphone. This special headset, however, has silicon spikes called "neuroprimers" in contact with the wearer's head.

These neuroprimers emit electrical impulses that stimulate the motor cortex, which is a part of the brain responsible for performing physically demanding tasks.

To use the headset, a soldier sprays the spikes with s saline solution to ensure good electrical contact then wears the headset. The tingling sensation a user feels on his scalp is said to increase the "neuroplasticity" of the brain, making it more receptive than usual to training.

The headset used by the navy seems to be derived from another Halo Neuroscience device, the Halo Sport, which the company bills as "the first-ever headset that stimulates the part of your brain responsible for muscle movement."

The navy believes the Halo Neuroscience headset is ideal for elite athletes or soldiers because a small improvement in performance can mean winning in sports or surviving on the battlefield. The idea is to make training shorter and more efficient for Navy SEALS.

The navy wants companies to develop and demonstrate technologies that offer cognitive enhancement, said Rear Admiral Timothy Szymanski, Commander, NAVSPECWARCOM.

He said that experiments had shown that personnel tasked with monitoring screens would lose their ability to concentrate after about 20 minutes. After electrical stimulation was applied to their brains, however, the same people maintained peak performance and concentration for a period of 20 hours.

TagsU.S. Navy, transcranial electrical stimulation, SEAL Team Six, United States Naval Special Warfare Command, NAVSPECWARCOM, Halo Neuroscience, Headset, Halo Sport, Rear Admiral Timothy Szymanski