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Mind-controlled quadcopter demonstrates new possibilities
Science NationWith support from the National Science Foundation, biomedical engineer Bin He and his team at the University of Minnesota have created a brain-computer interface with the goal of helping people with disabilities, such as paralysis, regain the ability to do everyday tasks. Currently, they're testing out their system using a flying object known as a Quadcopter, which is controlled with someone's thoughts! For the experiments, they use both an actual flying Quadcopter and a virtual one. In both experiments, the interface is non-invasive, so there are no implants. Participants wear an electro-encephalography, or EEG, cap with 64 electrodes. When the participant thinks about a specific movement, neurons in their brain's motor cortex produce tiny electric signals, which are send to a computer which processes them and sends directions through a Wi-Fi system to direct the Quadcopter.
Credit: National Science Foundation
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