New technologies are enabling mind-reading that positively impacts the fields of healthcare, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have developed a biosensor technology that allows us to operate devices such as robots and machines using only thought control.
The Advanced Brain-Computer Interface was developed by Chin Teng Lin and Professor Francesca Iacopi from the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT in collaboration with the Australian Army and Defense Innovation Hub.
Beyond defense applications, this technology has great potential in fields such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and healthcare. For example, people with disabilities can control wheelchairs or operate prosthetic limbs.
“Hands-free, voice-free technology works anywhere, anytime, even outside the lab. increase.
“By using state-of-the-art graphene materials combined with silicon, we were able to overcome the problems of corrosion, durability and skin contact resistance to develop wearable dry sensors,” she said.
A new study outlining this technology has been published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Nano Materials. This demonstrates that the UTS-developed graphene sensor is highly conductive, easy to use, and robust.
A hexagonal pattern of sensors is placed behind the scalp to detect brain waves from the visual cortex. The sensors can withstand harsh conditions and can be used in extreme operating environments.
A user wears a head-mounted augmented reality lens that displays a white flickering square. By concentrating on a specific square, the operator’s brainwaves are picked up by biosensors and decoders convert the signals into commands.
This technology was recently demonstrated by the Australian Army. There, soldiers used Blaine’s machine interface to operate Ghost-his robotic quadrupedal robots. The device enabled hands-free control of robotic dogs with up to 94% accuracy.
“Our technology can issue at least nine commands in two seconds. This means that there are nine different commands and the operator can choose one of those nine in that period of time.” says Professor Lin.
“We also explored ways to minimize noise from the body and environment to get a clearer signal from the operator’s brain,” he said.
The researchers believe the technology will be of interest to science, industry, and government, and hope to continue advancing brain-computer interface systems.
Original: Mind-controlled robots become a reality
Than: University of Technology Sydney
