The theory according to which we all have an inner genius waiting to be discovered has been addressed now by a team of scientists that built a device that affects the brain activity through a series of magnetic impulses. They are hoping to tap more of the brain's potential with their newly-developed cap.

So far, the “thinking cap”, as it is called by its makers, has yielded unexpectedly good results during its testing, as wearing it for only a matter of minutes greatly improved proof-reading and artistic abilities. When the technique is worked on and refined, the item could get a very large market value. The Australian scientists who developed it admitted that they were inspired during its creation by savants who suffer from serious mental problems, just like Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie “Rain Man”. Most of them have unexplainable qualities that lurk under an apparent dullness, such as mind-blowing calculation skills, amazing painting abilities, while some are able to entirely and exactly reproduce a complex musical phrase after only hearing it once.

And they're not few. About 10% of the people suffering from autism are like that. The researchers from Sydney University showed that such talents can also be tapped in others, using a technology which proved successful in treatments of schizophrenia and depression. Their cap is provided with a magnetic coil in order to zap the brain's left side, the one responsible for the “ensemble” view, as opposed to the right side which focuses more on details. Unfortunately, the boosting effects demonstrated during tests disappear within one hour.

Referring to the impact of the test, Professor Allan Snyder stated, “I believe that each of us has within us non-conscious machinery which can do extraordinary art, extraordinary memory and extraordinary mathematical calculations. We don't normally access these skills because they are the machinery behind our daily lives and everything we do. We are only interested in the answer, not the working that went on to produce the answer. When you make complex decisions, or even catch a cricket ball, you are not aware of how your brain is performing all these complex tasks. My theory is that there is a lot happening and maybe you could see it by shutting off that conscious part of the brain”.