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Toyota Demonstrates Brain Control of Wheelchair

Posted by kdawson on from the left-no-left-dammit-left-puff-crash dept.

An anonymous reader tips us that researchers at Toyota have developed a brain-machine interface system that allows for control of a wheelchair using thought. The system processes brain thought patterns (such as the thought of moving one's left foot) and can turn them into left, right, and forward movements of the wheelchair with a delay as short as one-eighth of a second. That's a big improvement over existing systems, which can take as long as several seconds to analyze and react to the user's thoughts. "The system has an emergency stop that can be activated by the user puffing his cheeks. The BMI adjusts itself over time to the characteristics of each driver's brainwaves. If a person dedicates three hours a day to using the system, the BMI can reach 95% accuracy in a week, researchers said."

107 comments

  1. I want to see.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    .. Jeremy Clarkson sit in one.

    1. Re:I want to see.. by ocularDeathRay · · Score: 1

      I just hope these things can go faster than a honey badger

      --
      Obama is a twitter sock puppet
    2. Re:I want to see.. by beav007 · · Score: 4, Informative

      This has already been demoed by James May on "James May's Big Ideas", some 8-10 months ago...

    3. Re:I want to see.. by that+IT+girl · · Score: 1

      But only if it will go from naught to 60 in less than 5 seconds.

      --
      10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
      20 DRINK COFFEE
      30 GOTO 10
  2. 95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But hitting that wall or doorjamb the other 5% of the time really sucks.

    1. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by fractoid · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I was going to say just this. 95% sounds good until you start thinking about it - but that means that in every hour of usage, the chair is going to spend three full minutes misbehaving. I can't find exact statistics or standards for conventional electric wheelchairs but I'd be amazed if the mean time before failure is measured in minutes rather than months or years.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    2. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Bob9113 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I was going to say just this. 95% sounds good until you start thinking about it - but that means that in every hour of usage, the chair is going to spend three full minutes misbehaving.

      OK, sure, but answer this: When you go out for an hour walk, do you ever stumble or overbalance? Sure, the wheelchair isn't perfect -- but neither are we.

      Three minutes? I'd guess this thing is about as effective at understanding the brain's motive commands as an average six year old. That's pretty good.

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    3. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "I was going to say just this. 95% sounds good until you start thinking about it - but that means that in every hour of usage, the chair is going to spend three full minutes misbehaving. I can't find exact statistics or standards for conventional electric wheelchairs but I'd be amazed if the mean time before failure is measured in minutes rather than months or years."

      Depends how you define "failure". For the type of patient that need this interface the existing interface methods would have up to a 100% failue rate simply because their disability prevents them from using it with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    4. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by pinkushun · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's 95% more than any paralyzed person can move. I'm sure this figure will improve too!

    5. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Techman83 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, but I'm envious of a 95% accuracy, if I could get that whilst walking, I'd be a less bruised man.

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i cat
      Damn, my RAM is full of cats. MEOW!!
    6. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Good point. Their current option is 'not', so any control is good. Also, if they're reading the inputs 8 times a second, I'd presume that they would do some form of filtering to improve accuracy in practice.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    7. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by nacturation · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I was going to say just this. 95% sounds good until you start thinking about it - but that means that in every hour of usage, the chair is going to spend three full minutes misbehaving.

      Depends on how it fails for that 5%. If 95% of the time, it understands and executes the command perfectly, but the other 5% of the time, it doesn't understand and thus executes no command, then that's pretty good.

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    8. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The statement was "If a person dedicates three hours a day to using the system, the BMI can reach 95% accuracy in a week", they didn't say that 95% was the highest accuracy one could obtain. After a full month of usage, you could find yourself at decimal point level inaccuracy.

    9. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by skaet · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Additionally, which 5% are we talking about? Does it fail every 57min for 3min reliably? Every 19min for 60sec? Every minute for 3sec? Or every 10sec for half a second?

      Breaking it down like that and what do you get? A very small delay between reaction times every few seconds. Perhaps not even a noticeable delay since their optimal response time is 0.125sec

      --
      There is no knowledge that is not power.
    10. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by BrightSpark · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The human being has a built in risk management system. I wouldn't like the 5% failure to happen say at the train platform or near a road crossing. We take special care and do a lot of subconscious checking in more dangerous situations. True we are not foolproof, but we have a lifetime of reasoning to fall back on. The wheelchair system is a bit like a child. Kids need extra help in similar conditions becasue their peripheral vision is not great, their sense of risk and reasoning is still developing. I'm sure these wheelchair owners would be making the same calls about some overide intervention at high risk times. Good idea though. I'd sure hate it if I were stuck in a wheelchair.

    11. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously here at slashdot we don't really care about cripples, we just want an easier way to the fridge.

    12. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Crazyswedishguy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Granted, 95% accuracy isn't amazing, especially in situations where you can't afford to make a mistake. This being said, I'm pretty sure that such a sophisticated device could easily implement some collision/stair avoidance (for instance).

      I know I've tried putting my roomba on top of a table (or tried to make it go off the stairs), but it just stops when it gets to an edge. It also stops when its bumpers hit a wall, by the way. I don't know how much this wheelchair would cost, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could add the cost of a couple roombas without making a significant dent in the price.

      --
      This space up for sale.
    13. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Crazyswedishguy · · Score: 1

      Just put the fridge on the wheelchair, hook it to your brain. That way you can call it over every time you want a beer. (cue Soviet Russia joke)

      --
      This space up for sale.
    14. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The human being has a built in risk management system. I wouldn't like the 5% failure to happen say at the train platform or near a road crossing.

      People accidentally step in front of cars and trains all the time.

      Care to back up, and try again?

      P.S. Slashdot's new five minutes between postings policy is retarded. I suspect that they can't afford any more servers, and the new functionality is kicking slashdot's ass, so they have to reduce the meaningful traffic. Less comments, less cached pages to generate. Only those who read and write slowest are permitted to comment at full speed. Congratulations for once again reducing the overall quality of comments with a retarded policy, Slashdot!

      Wow, I have another whole minute to bitch about this, while I'm still not permitted to post my comment. I'm not adding any material to the comment, and there's still a max-number-of-comments cap, so what has been achieved? Oh wait, now I understand! Only the people who are so bent about slashdot that they will sit here and use it all day when they are supposed to be working and actually earning their pay are permitted to post a lot of comments. With a five minute cycle Slashdot has deliberately introduced a change which will reduce the number of valuable comments from people who actually have things to do. You know, the only people qualified to leave comments, since they're actually doing things?

      This is not the beginning of the end, this is the continuation of the end. The beginning of the end was requiring people to take one minute to post a two line comment. I think I see the drain getting closer, but it's hard to tell because it keeps going around and around...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 2

      But hitting that wall or doorjamb the other 5% of the time really sucks.

      I have a colleague with cerebral palsy who uses a powered wheelchair and she accidentally bumps doorjambs and corners of tables all the time. I don't know if it is 5% of the time, but there's not a whole lot of paint on the the door casings in our lab. It's actually not that big a deal because she is completely surrounded by the chair so it's pretty hard for her to get hurt. And she doesn't, you know, go right up to the edge of staircases or train platforms or anything.
      I'm sure that they are working on that remaining 5% error.

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
    16. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Loko+Draucarn · · Score: 1

      In other news, Mohammed finally decides that going to the mountain is for suckers.

    17. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      I can post comments less than 5 minutes apart just fine. Maybe it's based on the amount of whining a user does?

    18. Re:95% accuracy is pretty awesome. by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Automobiles (and even bicycles) would not be usable if their controls failed at a 1% rate. Or even 0.1%.

  3. Thought / Action Barrier by wasabu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Uhmm.. what happens if you can't stop thinking about moving?

    1. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There's a difference for most of us between thinking ABOUT moving our foot and thinking TO move our foot.

    2. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by buchner.johannes · · Score: 1

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x3W6hutEj8 :-P

      --
      NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
    3. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by codeButcher · · Score: 4, Funny

      There's a difference for most of us between thinking ABOUT moving our foot and thinking TO move our foot.

      You've got that spot on. I spend a lot of time thinking about moving my butt out of bed. Especially now that it's winter here in the southern hemi.

      --
      Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
    4. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhmm.. what happens if you can't stop thinking about moving?

      It doesn't read your thoughts, that it a misconception.
      Thinking about doing something does not trigger the same regions in the brain that actual movement does. Just before you actually move something, your brain begins to activate the motor control centers, and shortly after that it actually send the signal to the rest of the body. This technology can pick up on the actual movement and the immediate precursor, but we are still a very, very long ways away from being able to monitor thinking or intent.

      But while this is really cool, & I'm glad to see this tech finally starting to get going, they are hardly alone, and not light years ahead like they imply. Honda has a similar system with similar specs, and there are a bunch of other companies also working on this as well.

      So far, nobody is really doing much with neural feedback, it's all just passive neural sensing. Call me when we get full sensory feedback running...

    5. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 1

      Also, if it works like a Bayesian filter, then if you think about moving all the time, it won't factor that into the cue for movement. It will factor that into the cue for being idle, since that's what you're thinking when you want to be idle.

    6. Re:Thought / Action Barrier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I spend 95% of my time thinking about sex, and only 50% of the time masturbating!

  4. BMI... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Better get a new name as I think Body Mass Index whenever I hear BMI.

    Anyone got a creative alternate title?

    Brain Control Interface? Mind Control Interface?

    1. Re:BMI... by mcvos · · Score: 3, Funny

      Anyone got a creative alternate title?

      Brain Control Interface? Mind Control Interface?

      That sounds like I'm gonna need a tinfoil hat.

  5. Captain Pike calling... by iluvcapra · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, the wheelchair can read minds, but can it flash a light to indicate "yes" or "no"?

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
    1. Re:Captain Pike calling... by dynamo52 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the wheelchair can read minds, but can it flash a light to indicate "yes" or "no"?

      I know you were going for funny but for many patients I would imagine something similar (with a less ridiculous methodology perhaps) to be a useful feature that could probably be easily implemented through this technology.

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    2. Re:Captain Pike calling... by VinylRecords · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the wheelchair can read minds, but can it flash a light to indicate "yes" or "no"?

      From what I've learned of the future(ama) I think you mean "yes" and "yes, yes".

    3. Re:Captain Pike calling... by Drinking+Bleach · · Score: 1

      I've always wondered why he can't just use Morse code with that light...

    4. Re:Captain Pike calling... by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      It wasn't Required Reading At The Academy.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    5. Re:Captain Pike calling... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like the episode in South Park

      Police: Miss Claridge, did Trent try to kill you again?

      Ms. Claridge: Beep Beep (no)

      Police: Yes, yes. Take him away boys!

    6. Re:Captain Pike calling... by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You don't need a "no" response, actually. You can communicate quite well with just a "Yes". (Here is where I explain all of the humor out of the Capt. Pike joke.) The computer can automatically scan through a series of options and the user can activate when it gets to the option he or she wants. If no response, it simply assumes No and moves on.

      If you want to see examples of this system at work, check out Jean-Dominique Bauby's system in the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, where it scans the letters of the alphabet in order of frequency (in French in his case).

      Stephen Hawking uses a row-column system that scans through dictionaries of whole words large blocks at a time, each selection narrowing down the options to the word, so that he only has to resort to spelling things out for infrequently occurring words.

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
    7. Re:Captain Pike calling... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the wheelchair can read minds, but can it flash a light to indicate "yes" or "no"?

      I know you were going for funny but for many patients I would imagine something similar (with a less ridiculous methodology perhaps) to be a useful feature that could probably be easily implemented through this technology.

      USE THE BEEPS

    8. Re:Captain Pike calling... by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      What I want to know is whether you have to think in Russian^H^H^H^H^H^H^HJapanese to control this thing.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  6. Wheeee! by powerslave12r · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can't wait to hook it up to a Wii and play some racing games.

    --
    Real men read Slashdot articles at -1, bottom up.
    1. Re:Wheeee! by Yoozer · · Score: 1

      Shit yeah, ladies, I bring those blue sparks.

    2. Re:Wheeee! by Idbar · · Score: 1

      Sounds more like the other way around. You, watching a high-speed racing game (or TV show), "thinking" about the movement, and then... miserably crashing your head against the 46" LCD in front of you...

      Now, I can't wait for the YouTube videos documenting such behavior!

  7. But will it Blend? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...one of the universe - most complex question - ever!

  8. Here they are.. by Cyrcyr · · Score: 4, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new brain controlling wheelchair overlords.

    1. Re:Here they are.. by Yoozer · · Score: 1

      When you formulate it like this... it sounds like Toyota is making Dalek prototypes. EXTERMINATE!

  9. They Need A Better Acronym... by BlogTheHaggis · · Score: 0

    My first thought was "Who'd want to use a Bowel Movement Interface?". Ewww...

  10. Dirty thoughts... by RuBLed · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I'd hit that!

    1. Re:Dirty thoughts... by velen · · Score: 1

      LMAO.

  11. For those who RTFA: Though-Controlled Robot!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If you actually went to the article and watched the video, there is a side-note at the end that Honda developed a similar system for controlling a robot.

    They demonstrate using ASIMO.

    HOW IS THIS NOT THE MAIN STORY!

    1. Re:For those who RTFA: Though-Controlled Robot!! by BluBrick · · Score: 3, Funny

      Direct brain interfaced control of a robot? meh.
      Direct brain interfaced control by a robot? Now THAT's interesting!


      (I, for one...)

      --
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      The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
  12. That's nearly perfect. by zip0nada · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh, good, I stand a relatively good chance of being able to stop myself before rolling into traffic. Although, to be fair, I'd much rather face a 5% error rate than have no control at all. Not to mention that's only one week of training.

    1. Re:That's nearly perfect. by JanneM · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Oh, good, I stand a relatively good chance of being able to stop myself before rolling into traffic."

      Which is why the brake is controlled with the breathing tube.

      --
      Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  13. Roujin Z anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Mainly nostalgia here, but the article reminded me of the plot from Roujin Z (OAV).
    An elderly invalid is volunteered for a bizarre science experiment. He is given a robotic bed linked directly to his brainwaves, allowing instant gratification. This seems like a wonderful deal, until this seemingly harmless bed goes out of control and transforms into an unstoppable robot.

    I first saw the film on the SciFi channel many years ago.

  14. Stephen Hawking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The chair of Stephen Hawking needs an upgrade.. So, is toyota going to gift one to him?

  15. new lease of life... by Kained · · Score: 1

    With only a cheek muscle left to tweak, perhaps Mr Hawkin could put this to good use.

  16. Sweet! by crhylove · · Score: 1

    Now we don't have to move at all!

    --
    I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
  17. Yes but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...does it run Linux?

    1. Re:Yes but... by grimborg · · Score: 1

      ...does it run Linux?

      RTFA, it does only if you use it in a Beowulf cluster

  18. Re:this is what I'm fucking TALKING ABOUT!!! by daveime · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, your choice of font is still living in 1925.

  19. It's called the Audeo by Ossk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This was done a few years ago in a different way: you wear an electronic collar which eavesdrops on the nerves running to your vocal chords. These signals are then decoded into words. Finally, some words, like "forward", are interpreted as intentions to move. The system is called the Audeo.

    Official site: http://www.theaudeo.com/
    Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyQv61899HE
    Article: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/6130

    1. Re:It's called the Audeo by Patrik_AKA_RedX · · Score: 2, Funny

      Finally, some words, like "forward", are interpreted as intentions to move.

      I can imagine how this could be very entertaining to see in action. Imagine someone on a stage giving a speech in one of these. "...these figures show clearly, we should move forward AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaah" CRASH.

    2. Re:It's called the Audeo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that wouldn't be any use if signals couldn't REACH your vocal cords. It depends what type of paralysis you have.

    3. Re:It's called the Audeo by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1

      Hehe. Or if I designed the wheelchair: "... and as you can clearly see, if we don't do something about resonance increasing pressure in the fuel lines then the whole system could explode-" KABOOOOOOOOM!

      Which, I have to admit, was a pretty good reason for them to not hire me.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  20. Always a flaw... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course it will have one tremendous flaw. After a year of learning how to read a patients brain waves to 99.99%, changing the battery out deletes the profile, since the manufacturers decided to use volatile ram to store the info.

    1. Re:Always a flaw... by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 1

      I know you meant that as a joke, but all of the assistive tech that I've seen (which is a lot) that runs on things like EEG or eye tracking have to recalibrate a lot. The really reliable stuff tends to be very simple, like switches with only toggle ON/OFF responses.

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
  21. Time to steal the wheelchair and climb the Urals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What if I run out of fuel ?!!

  22. 95% accuracy probably not good enough by syousef · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing achievement but clearly it'll need work to be practical. 95% sounds great until you realise that if you're on a footpath with oncoming traffic, or near the top of some stairs, that 5% can be painful or deadly.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
    1. Re:95% accuracy probably not good enough by Korin43 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That seems to be why there's an emergency stop built in..

  23. It must be said... by hyades1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    This technological advance screams out to be mounted on a mobile beer fridge. Far more convenient than waiting for a buddy to finish his pint, then using that time-worn phrase, "While you're up..."

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    1. Re:It must be said... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This technological advance screams out to be mounted on a mobile beer fridge. Far more convenient than waiting for a buddy to finish his pint, then using that time-worn phrase, "While you're up..."

      Is that you, Bobby?

  24. Re:this is what I'm fucking TALKING ABOUT!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but it was not a troll. What the fuck is wrong with these moderators. Have they SEEN the kinds of people walking around and using iPhones, and how it looks when they're doing so? It is fucking futuristic. Do they know how "futuristic" a black President would have appeared even 15 years ago? Literally, this is the shit that was in comic books. YOu can't tell me nobody reading the present story thought of Professor Xavier's (of the xmen) scooting around in his wheelchair without apparently touching or moving anything! Stuff of fucking comic books man!

  25. Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by gringer · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Okay, I'll say this again, because it doesn't seem to have filtered through to the general population yet. Until the singularity, the human brain will be able to learn more easily than a computer. Please stop trying to teach computers the thought patterns for specific movements, and just provide a neural interface for the brain to work with. The brain will be able to figure out what signals it needs to fire to get the wheelchair moving (or whatever) soon enough.

    FWIW, my own idea of how to do this would be to put a few small electrodes into a person's lower arm, far away from the brain (and have a sensitive meter to detect nerve firings). Once the brain figures out what nerves are important for this interface, you then use that interface to deliver signals to operate other equipment.

    --
    Ask me about repetitive DNA
    1. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by nacturation · · Score: 4, Funny

      FWIW, my own idea of how to do this would be to put a few small electrodes into a person's lower arm, far away from the brain (and have a sensitive meter to detect nerve firings).

      Why not just put the electrodes into the person's feet? Then when they're walking along, the wheelchair can just follow a few paces behind them. That way, if they ever find themselves paralyzed and unable to send nerve firings to their feet, they'll find it rather convenient to have a wheelchair available.

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    2. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1

      FWIW, my own idea of how to do this would be to put a few small electrodes into a person's lower arm

      If they had nerve impulses getting as far as their lower arm, they'd be able to use a joystick.

    3. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Singularity schmingularity. It's almost as overhyped as the semantic web.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    4. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by maxume · · Score: 1

      The problem is that there are plenty of people who are teetering on the brink of losing their traditional faith, and there are these other folks who say that heaven is coming to earth.

      Makes for enthusiasts, I think.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    5. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by stranger_to_himself · · Score: 1

      Okay, I'll say this again, because it doesn't seem to have filtered through to the general population yet. Until the singularity, the human brain will be able to learn more easily than a computer. Please stop trying to teach computers the thought patterns for specific movements, and just provide a neural interface for the brain to work with. The brain will be able to figure out what signals it needs to fire to get the wheelchair moving (or whatever) soon enough.

      FWIW, my own idea of how to do this would be to put a few small electrodes into a person's lower arm, far away from the brain (and have a sensitive meter to detect nerve firings). Once the brain figures out what nerves are important for this interface, you then use that interface to deliver signals to operate other equipment.

      I know in theory this sounds good but has it ever been demonstrated to work? Can adults recruit new brain areas like this?

    6. Re:Gah... brains are meant to be good at learning by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 1

      I know in theory this sounds good but has it ever been demonstrated to work? Can adults recruit new brain areas like this?

      Turns out, yes. With the right biofeedback, the brain remains plastic throughout adulthood. Otherwise, all of the stroke and TBI rehab I've done my whole career wouldn't have worked. I've seen it functionally, and more recently, they've seen new synaptic growth in the lab.
      I don't think anyone will be developing whole new brain areas, but the existing motor cortex can repurpose itself.

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
  26. meh.. post some decent articles kdawson by nawcom · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Okay, i'll look like some troll already mods, but give me a second.

    I just feel that this is just another promo ad that gets sent to tech sites from some publicists to get the title of the technology spread with their name on it.

    this article, (06/29/2009)
    Brain controlled wheelchair developed at University of South Florida (02/11/2009)
    from European scientists, Brain Controlled Wheelchair (05/11/2008)
    Ambient Tech creates brain controlled wheelchair (09/06/2007)
    Brain controlled wheelchair from spanish inventor (01/29/2007)
    University of Electro Communications in Japan develop brain controlled wheelchair (08/11/2006)

    Yeah I'll stop. Mod me down. I just think it's odd that this stuff gets press like it's something brand new. Perhaps sell us by saying its much better? Something. Please.

    1. Re:meh.. post some decent articles kdawson by notseamus · · Score: 1

      Fair point, and shouldn't be modded down, but the difference is that this one interprets dance moves!

      --
      I dreamed of Freud: What does this mean?
  27. tag magneto or xavier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... this has to be the work of one of them.

  28. Overlords by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, bow down to our brain-controlled wheelchair overlords.

  29. That's amazing by moonbender · · Score: 0

    That's really incredible!! Mind control? How could that work?! What? Oh, it only works on their special wheel chair...

    --
    Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
  30. I, for one by grimborg · · Score: 0, Redundant

    welcome our new braincontrolwheelchaired overlords

  31. in korea by grimborg · · Score: 0, Troll

    wheelchairs are for old people

  32. Advertisements by FishTankX · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am professor Xavier. And I approve this wheelchair.

  33. Let me know... by billybob_jcv · · Score: 1

    ...when you have demonstrated wheelchair control of a brain.

  34. Super balmer by arndawg · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can see it now. Balmer hooked up to an army of wheel chairs throwing themselves at you.

  35. TO TOYOTA NERDS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i am puffing my cheeks to control my phone you insensitive clods!

  36. Human connection by taucross · · Score: 1

    It's always good to see the human brain controlling our possessions, rather than the other way around. I look forward to the day when people are connected to other people in this same capacity.

    --
    "In the absence of the ability to establish the attribute of truth they tried to establish the noble attributes."
  37. Who's doing the hard work ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does the system analyse user thoughts or does the user's brain learn to send the input the system expect ?

  38. Not a power wheelchair user I suspect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you ever been around individuals, who are using powered wheelchairs due to a severe physical disability? Like, say, persons born with Cerebral Palsy. Protip: They already hit stuff hard ALL THE *BEEP*ING TIME! Doors and doorways are usually steel reinforced in many institutions, and homes and furniture is frequently worn and battered. Many of the users have scars and bruises on extremities from colliding with objects around them.

    There is a reason the good wheelchair manufacturers build their power chairs like the proverbial tank. Many chairs weigh upwards of 300lbs. If you cannot navigate it, you can at least push it out of the way. Protip II: The power chair in the video is a feeble little thing only intended for light indoor use. It won't have the power to drive through the woods.

    Subject of TFA could be great for a fair few people I know.

  39. Stephen Hawking by PlantPerson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is slightly off topic, but I hope this technology develops fast enough to get Stephen Hawking some great things before he dies. I'd love to see him given something that would allow him to type letters just by thinking of them.

  40. but wait! two words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Konami Code.

    Just imagine the possibilities.

  41. Just Askin' by BigBlueOx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Toyota researchers in Japan have built a brain/machine interface (BMI)...

    Is it an EVIL brain/machine interface?

    ... that has been demonstrated to control a wheelchair ...

    Is it an EVIL wheelchair?

    ...using a person's thoughts.

    Are they EVIL thoughts?

  42. Old research news is old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I do research in the neural engineering field and have done this work with patients many years ago. #1 - this technology is old news, BMI research is unfunded by the NIH/NSF because it's very close to having the same stigma as cold fusion (although I do think BMI will work eventually but not in this generation). #2 - You're sitting at a busy intersection waiting to cross and have a 5% chance of getting run over using this device (at the best), would you use this? Sure sure any improvement is better than being paralyzed but the idea isn't new and it's a long way from being useful.

  43. Control by fulldecent · · Score: 1

    Controlled by your thoughts...

    Wow, I what would happen if I drove off this bridge... WHUPPS!

    --

    -- I was raised on the command line, bitch

  44. Need clarification on E-Stop function by motherpusbucket · · Score: 1

    By 'puffing his cheeks', could they be referring to farting?
    If not, would sneezing/coughing constantly stop the chair?

    --
    "You can't really dust for vomit" --Nigel Tufnel
  45. This Article Should Be Called... by manoftin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... the future of gaming. We will look back at these stories and realise this was where it all started...

  46. dreaming? by emeiji · · Score: 1

    What if you fell asleep in the chair and dreamt you were moving around?

  47. BMI? by c0d3r · · Score: 1

    Now if the BMI can help me when I BM, then I can retire happily.