News
Brain Machine Interface Technology
Talk about science fiction coming to life, it is amazing what researchers in Tokyo at Honda Motor Co. are doing. They have created a way for a computer to read brain waves – and then act. For example – some day, a person with locked-in-syndrome will be able to think “I’m hot, adjust the air-conditioning” and the robot will do it for the person. The benefits of such a system are limitless. Honda Motor Co. envisions the new system as someday being able to help around the house – multi-tasking made easy – need to water the plants, sweep the floor, and prepare dinner? No problem. Just “think it” and the robots will do the rest.
Right now the computer can only understand simple commands such as move right hand, left hand, foot, tongue. Furthermore the equipment is bulky and it takes an average of 2 to 3 hours for the reading device to learn the person’s brain, as everybody’s brain is different.
Breitbart.com reports “In a video shown Tuesday at Tokyo headquarters, a person wearing a helmet sat still but thought about moving his right hand—a thought that was picked up by cords attached to his head inside the helmet. After several seconds, Asimo, programmed to respond to brain signals, lifted its right arm.”
Honda says they still have a lot of work to do, such as make the reading-device smaller so it can be portable.
This new technology is truly amazing, just think of the implications – both awesome and terrifying.
