Control of robots through the mind is already a reality

Currently, robots are already gaining a greater presence in many human activities, controlling some, but some scientists presented a tool that allowed humans to control robots with their minds.

Researchers from the Technological University of Sydney (UTS) have developed biosensor technology that will allow devices such as robots and machines to be controlled solely through thought control.

The advanced brain-computer interface has been developed by Professor Chin-Teng Lin and Professor Francesca Iacopi, from the UTS School of Engineering and Computing, in collaboration with the Australian Army and Center for Defense Innovation.

In addition to defense applications, the technology has great potential in fields such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace and healthcare, for example enabling people with disabilities to control a wheelchair or operate prosthetics.

“Hands-free and voice-free technology works outside the lab, anytime, anywhere. It makes interfaces like consoles, keyboards, touch screens and hand-gesture recognition unnecessary,” explains Professor Francesca Lacopi. “Using state-of-the-art graphene material, combined with silicon, we have been able to overcome the issues of corrosion, durability, and resistance to skin contact to develop the wearable dry sensors,” she adds.

🤖 @UTSEngage say mind-controlled robots are close to being a reality after they created a biosensor technology to allow the thought control of electronicshttps://t.co/Eo6qb7vAUb pic.twitter.com/mph4H1JpNa

— Australian Science Media Centre (@AusSMC) March 21, 2023

The study shows that the graphene sensors developed at UTS are very conductive, easy to use and robust. These are placed on the back of the scalp to detect brain waves from the visual cortex. The sensors are rugged enough to be used in extreme operating environments.

To operate the interface, the user wears a head-mounted augmented reality lens that displays blinking white squares. Focusing on a particular square, the biosensor picks up the operator's brainwaves and a decoder translates the signal into commands.

Army-proven technology

The technology was recently tested by the Australian Army, where soldiers operated a quadruped robot from Ghost Robotics using the brain-machine interface. The device allowed the robotic dog to be commanded hands-free with up to 94% accuracy.

“Our technology can issue at least nine commands in two seconds. This means that we have nine different types of orders and the trader can select one of those nine in that period of time,” Professor Lin explained.

The researchers believe the technology will be of interest to the scientific community, industry and government, and hope to further advance brain-computer interface systems.