Quadcopter flies high with a thought experiment

The experiments have been performed by researchers hoping to develop future robots that can help restore the autonomy of paralysed victims or those suffering from neurodegenerative disorders. Their study has been published today in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Neural Engineering.

Five subjects (three female, two male) took part in the study and each one was able to successfully control the four-blade helicopter (quadcopter), quickly and accurately for a sustained amount of time.

Lead author of the study Prof Bin He, from the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering, said: ‘Our study shows that for the first time, humans are able to control the flight of flying robots using just their thoughts, sensed from noninvasive brain waves.’

The non-invasive technique used was electroencephalography (EEG), which recorded the electrical activity of the subjects’ brain through a cap fitted with 64 electrodes.

Facing away from the quadcopter, the subjects were asked to imagine using their right hand, left hand, and both hands together; this would instruct the quadcopter to turn right, left, lift, and then fall, respectively. The quadcopter was driven with a pre-set forward moving velocity and controlled through the sky with the subject’s thoughts.