Smart Wheelchair With Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm
February 11th, 2009
This is the kind of life-changing robot we like to see. Researchers at the University of South Florida have developed a robot-arm attached to a wheelchair that can read brain waves and react accordingly. Therefore, it would act just like your real arm. If you had one. This is a great step forward for those suffering from all kinds of debilitating injuries.
The BCI system – developed, used and modified by USF psychology professor Emanuel Donchin and colleagues – captures P-300 brain wave responses and converts them to actions. Donchin and colleagues harnessed the P-300 brain signal to allow the user to “type” on a virtual keyboard by thinking with the P-300 response serving as the virtual “finger” for patients who cannot move, such as those with locked-in syndrome or those with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). Researchers in the USF Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, in collaboration with the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Psychology, modified the BCI further to fit a specific WMRA requirement.
Initial testing by human users has successfully proven that the WMRA control system can be used without having the user move a single muscle. The WMRA will not use any pre-programmed movements unless chosen by the user beforehand. This one is going to improve may lives.
