Controlling Robots with the Mind

loucura! writes "Scientific American has a fairly technical article on the real-time control of robotic limbs using recorded neuron patterns. The researcher's macaque has simultaneously controlled two robotic arms in addition to its own arm motion. The amazing thing? One of the arms was 600 miles away. So, they transmitted and translated the "commands" into motion in less than 300 milliseconds!" It's still a long ways off from helping the disabled or making a Dr. Octopus suit, but the potential uses are pretty cool.

Comments

Re:The loop isn't closed yet...

[blair1q]

I haven't read it.

Did they do it by measuring muscle response near the muscle, or by measurng neural activity near the spine? Because if it's the latter, you could amputate that monkey's arm, replace it with the waldo, hook it up, and the monkey wouldn't know the difference, grabbing-a-banana wise. He'd just move the arm.

But then again, maybe they're not recording individual neurons, just some gross wavepatterns, which means it'd be no more "controlling a limb" than letting your dog drive is the Indy 500.

--Blair