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Toyota Demonstrates Brain Control of Wheelchair
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."
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.
There's a difference for most of us between thinking ABOUT moving our foot and thinking TO move our foot.
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.
I, for one, welcome our new brain controlling wheelchair overlords.
"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.
That's 95% more than any paralyzed person can move. I'm sure this figure will improve too!
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.
This has already been demoed by James May on "James May's Big Ideas", some 8-10 months ago...
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.
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
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.
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.
I can see it now. Balmer hooked up to an army of wheel chairs throwing themselves at you.