Andrew Vladimirov started his PhD in pharmacology, a branch of medicine concerned with the uses, effects, and modes of action of drugs. When he realized there weren’t any grants available for human enhancement in the UK (you have to treat a specific medical condition to apply for a grant), he took matters into his own hands. Andrew decided: “let’s emulate the effects of nootropic drugs “digitally” by using accessible physical means.” Andrew started looking into new ways to enhance neural activity.

Altering brain activity through something called neuromodulation exists in the medical community today. It can be used to treat diseases or symptoms for vast applications ranging from tremors to spinal cord damage. And, it’s poised for major growth in the next decade. But Andrew wasn’t thinking about using that sort of heavy medical equipment. He was interested in something a little more subtle, but equally as effective and more safe in enhancing the human condition.

Andrew wasn’t thinking about the really lightweight stuff either. There are solutions in the market that simply make neurons more/less active. They are typically used to improve concentration. But, Andrew was interested in something a little more powerful. He wanted to actually change specific types of neuronal activity.

Andrew has fiddled with a variety of commercially available and DIY devices in order to influence the human brain. He used himself and volunteers in his discovery process, and he eventually developed several algorithms to allow for the targeting of specific neuronal activity mechanisms, rather than just simply making neurons more/less active.

The cool thing is, that if everyone in the world were to use approaches like Andrew’s, the world we just imagined could very well be real. See, altering neural activity with electromagnetic or acoustic waves can do really strong things. Modified brain activity can cure depression or reduce memory loss. It can enhance cognition. It can be used to improve physical performance. Sending electrical current, magnetic fields, or certain types of light and sound to your mind, in the right place, can make you perform like a “bull,” says Andrew.

And, everyone can get involved with biohacking to get us all operating at peak performance. After more research (i.e., running some experiments on himself, friends and family), Andrew determined that all someone needs is a cell phone and a few connected coils to alter brain activity enough to achieve extraordinary results.