Tag Archives: Mind control
A mind-controlled exoskeleton helped a paralyzed man walk again
A paralyzed man regained the ability to walk with the help of a robotic exoskeleton that he controlled with his mind. Unlike other, more invasive mind-controlled robotics, this one used electrodes implanted above the brain's outer membrane, not in th...
Chinese university finds a way to control cars with your brain
While Google and other automakers were developing autonomous cars, a group of Chinese researchers were working on a way to control vehicles with your mind. The team from Nankai University in mainland China has recently demonstrated the system, and it...
The Most Expensive Gaming Peripheral: Another Person’s Hand and Mind Control
There are lots of gaming peripherals out there, and some of them can get really, really expensive. Hell, I once reviewed a racing wheel, pedals, and shifter set that goes for about $1,200. Even something as simple as a mouse or keyboard can cost you hundreds. When it comes to more creative peripherals like the OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator or some hardcore hydraulic sim systems, the sky is the limit.
This is probably the most expensive peripheral ever, given that it’s made up of tons of extremely expensive, university-grade research equipment and an actual live person. Researchers at the University of Washington used electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to read when a person defending a virtual city from a flying, missile-launching pirate ship (why the hell not?) wanted to fire her cannon. The person playing thought about moving her hand, and because of that and some science and crap, a person in an entirely different room involuntarily twitched and activated a track pad that sent a message to the game that fired the cannon.
I wonder if the latency is better or worse than a wireless mouse?
[via i09]
Mind Controlled Plane Built by German Researchers
What could possibly be the next development in aviation, a team of German researchers have built a mind controlled plane.
You’re sat in the waiting area and your patience is being exercised tremendously as you sit watching the announcement board at the airport to find out when you can board your plane. You’ll be going on holiday! Maybe to Aruba or Fiji or maybe just to the other side of the country and you’re excited to don your best Hawaiian shirt and your nicest pair of flip flops. But that wait for the perfect holiday is going to take even longer because a giant, bold ‘DELAYED’ sticker has just come up next to your flight’s details on the board. You won’t be getting your destination any time soon, but what if you could get there yourself with no flight experience; what if you could fly yourself there by using the power of your mind?
Granted that’s an outlandish possibility but it is an actual reality as researchers from the Technische Universität München and the TU Berlin have created a special plane that allows even novice pilots to fly the plane with their mind. As shown in simulator tests, the mind controlled flight project works as it interprets brain waves from the person piloting the plane and it also works, as shown in the video above, with no manual interaction with the plane whatsoever.
For now, the project is only in the testing stages but the researchers had this to say,
“The scientists have logged their first breakthrough: They succeeded in demonstrating that brain-controlled flight is indeed possible – with amazing precision. Seven subjects took part in the flight simulator tests. They had varying levels of flight experience, including one person without any practical cockpit experience whatsoever. The accuracy with which the test subjects stayed on course by merely thinking commands would have sufficed, in part, to fulfill the requirements of a flying license test. “One of the subjects was able to follow eight out of ten target headings with a deviation of only 10 degrees,” reports Fricke. Several of the subjects also managed the landing approach under poor visibility. One test pilot even landed within only few meters of the centerline.”
We’ll keep you posted once we know more.
Source: TechCrunch
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, iPhone-Controlled SmartPlane Flies Mostly on Its Own, Google to Fly Around the World in a Solar Plane in 2015
Groklaw Closes Over Fears of NSA Email Snooping
The founder of and editor of Groklaw law site has declared that only if her site’s email facility is granted security status would she continue updating it. But thanks in no small part to the NSA,...
Mind-controlled Quadcopter Drone: Telekinesis Tech
The newest model of the Parrot AR.Drone can be controlled via the iPad. Fancy eh? Well, researchers at Zhejiang University have come up with a way to control the quadcopter using a person’s brain waves. That’s telekinesis, Kyle.
Or not. Even though the dude above looks like he’s got a Professor X thing going on, the real magic isn’t in his DNA but on a PC. An EEG wired to his head reads his signals, which is processed on his laptop, which in turn wirelessly sends the equivalent command to the drone. The goal is to help disabled people be more independent and to be able to explore their surroundings, but there’s no reason normal people can’t enjoy this technology as well.
Combine the FlyingBuddy 2 with the ShockDrone and you have one hell of a party game.
[via The Verge]
Axio’s EEG headband helps you teach your brain to focus (hands-on)
Usually when an EEG sensor headset graces these pages, it's used to peer into your thoughts or grant the wearer the power to control other gadgets with his or her mind. While such uses have appeal, start-up company Axio has a new EEG headband that aims to help you learn to better control your own brain. It tracks your level of mental focus in real-time and provides positive reinforcement audio feedback when you're mentally locked in. The neoprene band packs a trio of electrodes, a PCB with a Bluetooth radio and audio out, and a battery pack to power everything. It works by identifying the brainwave readings that correlate to ideal executive function in your pre-frontal cortex and shooting that data to your computer or phone via Bluetooth. Axio's software then shows an onscreen graph that charts your focus level in real-time, and for folks who prefer a more literal tracking method, there's a photo above the chart that moves in and out of focus along with your mind. Additionally, the headband provides pleasing audio neurofeedback when you're focused in order to train you to stay mentally engaged.
Unfortunately, we couldn't get much more information about the neurofeedback functionality, as the technology behind it is the company's secret sauce, and it won't divulge more until it's got the cash to bring the band to market. We also weren't able to actually test the band to see how it works, as it's still in the prototype phase and there's still a kink or two left to work out. Axio did tell us that the prototype we got our mitts on was the result of just six short months of work, and that after hacking together the original design using Arduino, the current iteration has a custom PCB better suited to Axio's needs. Co-founder Arye Barnehama also informed us that the band should be on sale by the end of summer, though he wouldn't say for how much or where we'll be able to pick one up. Sometime after it hits store shelves, Axio plans to release an SDK so that enterprising devs can make their own focus-aiding software and implement whatever audio feedback they prefer to help them take care of business -- a dose of Bachman-Turner Overdrive ought to do the trick.
Axio's EEG headband helps you teach your brain to focus (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Axio | Email this | Comments Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o’ joe (video)
Researchers at the Braingate2 consortium have made a breakthrough that allows people with spinal cord or stroke injuries to control robotic limbs with their minds. The original project allowed subjects with motor cortex-implanted chips to move cursors on a screen with their minds, but they can now command DEKA and DLR mechanical arms to grasp foam balls and sip coffee. Researchers noted that dropped objects and missed drinks were frequent, but improved brain sensors and more practice by subjects should help. To see the power of the mind move perhaps not mountains, but good ol' java, jump to the video below.
Continue reading Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o' joe (video)
Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o' joe (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ars Technica | Nature | Email this | Comments MyndPlay Helps Cool Fiery Tempers Everywhere
The saying goes that cooler heads will prevail, and that is especially true when it comes down to any kind of gaming. No matter how angry or frustrated you get, you always play better calm. The MyndPlay headset will force you to cool down, and has been use as such to staunch unwanted behavior.
MyndPlay is capable of reading your own state of mind, thanks to monitoring your brain’s electrical signals, and uses this feedback to control a series of computer games. Get too stressed out and you’ll fail. Stay calm, and you win. Manchester City, an English Premiership football team, is going to test headsets similar to these to cool down their hot-tempered players. They hope that this will improve their behavior on and off the football pitch because it requires users to remain calm.
MyndPlay might be able to train people to use their minds more effectively, and not to lose their cool so much. Only time will tell how useful these headsets really are. The MyndPlay Brainband is available now for £129 ($210USD) and the NeuroSky headset will be available soon for £99 ($162 USD).
[via Ubergizmo]