The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced that it has completed testing of a new threat detection system for ground-based troops, using ordinarily undetected human brainwaves to boost the accuracy of a digital monitoring setup. Known as the Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System (CT2WS), the tool comprises a 120-megapixel camera, a computer for processing input, and an EEG cap.

The operator is shown roughly ten images per second of the area being surveyed, with the system monitoring their brainwaves for a specific type of subconscious activity, known as P-300. The images which triggered the P-300 waves are then fed back to the operator, allowing them to consider the situation in full and to point out any potential threats.

According to DARPA, use of the brainwave monitoring system radically reduced the number of false positives flagged up by the computer in testing, from 810 per hour to just five — with 2,304 "target events" per hour, CT2WS was able to achieve a 91 percent recognition rate. The system is currently being transferred to the US Army's Night Vision Lab, which will conduct further testing before it is put into real-world use.