December 3, 2008—
Using virtual reality goggles, a kitchen knife, and mannequins, scientists can now reportedly make subjects "feel" another "body" being cut, among other sensations.
VIDEO
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081203-swapping-video-ap.htmlStrange Experiments Create Body-Swapping Experiences
Scientists now have manipulated people’s perceptions to make them think they have swapped bodies with another human or even a "humanoid body," experiencing the sensations that the other would feel and giving the illusion of being inside the other's body.
The bizarre achievement hearkens to body swaps portrayed on numerous TV shows and movies
such as "Freaky Friday" and "All of Me."
In real life, the cognitive neuroscientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet succeeded in making subjects perceive the bodies of mannequins and other people as their own. The illusion also worked even when the two people differed in appearance or were of different sexes. It also worked whether the subject was immobile or was making voluntary movements. However, it was not possible to fool the subjects into identifying with a non-humanoid object, such as a chair or a large block.
A year ago, scientists achieved the illusion of an out-of-body experience in subjects, using virtual reality. The new research manipulates the brain even further — out of itself and into another body. ..>
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/081202-body-swapping.html