Video of the week: robotic arm controlled by thoughts
This week’s video comes from the US mid-west where thoughts are being used to control a robotic arm.
The research from the University of Minnesota has the potential to help those with paralysis or neurodegenerative diseases.
The study is published by Scientific Reports in a paper titled Noninvasive Electroencephalogram Based Control of a Robotic Arm for Reach and Grasp Tasks.
“This is the first time in the world that people can operate a robotic arm to reach and grasp objects in a complex 3D environment using only their thoughts without a brain implant,” said Bin He, a University of Minnesota biomedical engineering professor and lead researcher on the study. “Just by imagining moving their arms, they were able to move the robotic arm.”
According to the University, the non-invasive technique, - electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interface - records weak electrical activity of the subjects’ brain through a specialised EEG cap fitted with 64 electrodes and converts thoughts into action by advanced signal processing and machine learning.
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