Honda has come up with a system that lets humans control a bot through thought alone. But don't start telepathing your Scooba yet.
Leslie Katz
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Japan's Honda Research Institute and precision-equipment manufacturer Shimadzu have come up with a system that lets humans control a bot through thought alone. Here, a user gets ready to give the technology a go.
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The system uses a helmet covered with electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy sensors that monitor electrical brainwaves and cerebral blood flow--signals that alter slightly during the human thought process.
The user thinks of one of a limited number of gestures it wants from the robot, which has been fitted with a Brain Machine Interface.
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The user is shown a card with a picture of a hand on it. After the user thinks about his hand, the command from the user's brain is wirelessly transferred on a real-time basis to Honda's Asimo humanoid robot.
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It looks like Asimo got the telepath, as it raises a hand to correspond with the user's thoughts.
