Virtual world seeks telepaths

Scientists at the University of Manchester have created a virtual world which they are using to test telepathic ability.

Participants in a trial will wear a head-mounted 3D display and an electronic glove which they use to navigate their way through a computer-generated world.

The people in the trial are placed in separate rooms on different floors of a building to eliminate any possibility of communication.

One will view a random selection of computer-generated objects - such as a telephone, a football and an umbrella - and will be asked to concentrate on and interact with one of them.

The other person is simultaneously presented with the same object plus three decoy objects. They are then asked to select the object they believe the other person is trying to transmit to them.

The system has been designed to make the task as realistic as possible. In addition to selecting objects and hearing the sounds they make, participants are able to hold and move them within the virtual environment.

Dr Toby Howard from the university's School of Computer Science said in a statement: "By creating a virtual environment we are creating a completely objective environment which makes it impossible for participants to leave signals or even unconscious clues as to which object they have chosen."

The results of the experiment are expected to be published early in 2007.