Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland have developed a new robot that can be controlled with your thoughts and brain signals to perform various tasks, reported CNET.
A research team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's Defitech Foundation Chair in Brain-Machine Interface is currently working on a brain-computer interface that helps those suffering from paralysis or limited mobility, allowing them to control telepresence robots from the comfort of their homes.
"We have been developing brain-computer interfaces for people who suffer different kinds of motor disabilities so that they can translate their mental intentions into commands for the robots," said project head professor José del R. Millán, according to CNET.
The researchers conducted a study including nine individuals with disabilities and ten individuals without disabilities across Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Participants were asked to wear hats with electrodes capable of analyzing brain signals. Their thoughts were then communicated to the robot by means of the Internet in real time from their home country. The robot in the EPFL lab is equipped with a screen on a wheeled frame as well as a camera that allows users to monitor the movement of the robot. The screen is used to display the face of the remote users via Skype, allowing them to interact with others, according to The Examiner.
"Each of the nine subjects with disabilities managed to remotely control the robot with ease after less than 10 days of training," said Millán, reported NDTV.
The robot has the ability to read and understand thought instructions, which allows the machine to avoid obstacles when it is told. If the robot does not receive any information, it will continue moving on its predetermined path until it is instructed to stop. This also gives the pilot some time to rest while navigating. Researchers did not find any dissimilarity between the navigation abilities of disabled individuals or those without any disabilities.
Millán says the application of this technology in the daily lives of the disabled won't be happening anytime soon. "For this to happen, insurance companies will have to help finance these technologies."
