Researchers working at Toyota in Japan have managed to create a new brain machine interface (BMI) for controlling the movement of a wheelchair.
It’s not only the development of this system that is impressive; it’s also the speed at which it can process and respond to the wishes of the person issuing the commands. Brain waves are analyzed in just 125 milliseconds with the signal processing technology being used allowing for smooth sideways and forward motion of the wheelchair.
The chair is fitted with a laptop which displays feedback on what the system is going to do. This gives the user instant feedback on whether their commands are being understood and therefore giving predictable motion while allowing them to concentrate on where to move next.
Activity in the brain is measured through five sensors using electroencephalography data and is capable of 95% accuracy. That accuracy is gained over time though, as the system needs to learn and adapt to the way a user thinks.
The system has been developed at the BSI-Toyota Collaboration Center and it is hoped the wheelchair will be used to help patients in rehabilitation centers and more generally for those who need to operate a wheelchair, but who have limited movement. Research will also continue to expand the usefulness and ability of the system to interpret more brain activity.
A streaming video of the wheelchair and system in action can be found on the RIKEN website.
Read more at PC World
Training is apparently meant to take 3 hours a day for a week in order to get the accuracy up to 95%. That must be a tiring first week for the user having to concentrate for so long, but I’m sure it gets easier over time.
Controlling devices with your brain seems to be a hot topic at the moment and has developed quite a lot recently. Whether that be a simple Mindflex brain control toy or the thought-controlled ASIMO robot. Systems are also appearing that allow you to write a Tweet with your brain; if you combine the two (movement and communication) that’s a pretty powerful system.
With a focus on researching brain control some major leaps in development are surely going to be made over the next few years. That will not only aid individuals with disabilities, but could also make the jump over to consumer products allowing us to perform actions without taking gadgets out of our pockets.