Controlling the movements of a
helicopter just with your mind
sounds like something out of a
science fiction movie, but scientists
at the University of Minnesota have
made it a reality. They have learnt
to use their thoughts to steer a
model helicopter around a gym,
making it dip, rise, turn, and even
fly through a ring.
The scientists have published their study
in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
The development of brain computer
interfacing (BCI) is to provide the user
with the ability to communicate with the
world outside and manipulate objects
through thought modulation. Achieving
this is accomplished through a closed
loop of sensing, processing and
actuation. Over the last ten years,
scientists have made enormous progress
in making it possible for us to move
things by just thinking about it.
Professor Bin He and team, who work in
the laboratory of biomedical
engineering, say that the technology
they are developing may one day help
people with neurodegenerative diseases,
who have lost the ability to speak or
move their bodies, regain function by
controlling electronic and mechanical
devices, such as artificial limbs,
wheelchairs, etc.
The team say their technology is
completely non-invasive. There are no
brain implants. Brainwaves
(electroencephalography, EEG) are
picked up by electrodes fitted into an
EEG cap that goes onto the scalp.
Professor He, who is a faculty member in
the College of Science and Engineering,
said:
"My entire career is to push for
noninvasive 3-D brain-computer
interfaces, or BCI. [Researchers
elsewhere] have used a chip implanted
into the brain's motor cortex to drive
movement of a cursor [across a screen]
or a robotic arm. But here we have proof
that a noninvasive BCI from a scalp EEG
can do as well as an invasive chip."
How does the brain-
computer interface work
The motor cortex is an area of the
cerebrum that controls movement. Prof.
He's BCI system works thanks to the
location of the motor cortex.
When humans move, or think about
carrying out a movement, neurons in the
motor cortex emit small electrical
currents. Each thought regarding each
different movement activates a new
arrangement of neurons.
The groundwork for the BCI involved
sorting out these neuron arrangements.
Professor He said "We were the first to
use both functional MRI and EEG imaging
to map where in the brain neurons are
activated when you imagine movements.
So now we know where the signals will
come from."
According to the brain map, the easiest
signals to distinguish were those that
resulted in closing one fist, closing the
other fist, or both.
He explained "This knowledge about
what kinds of signals are generated by
what kind of motion imagination helps us
optimize the design of the system to
control flying objects in real time."
Tapping the map
The EEG cap has 64 scalp-electrodes.
They monitor the electrical activity
coming from the brain and report signals
(or absence of signals) to a computer.
The computer processes the data and
translates the pattern into an electronic
command.
Using thoughts to control movement
occurred initially with the one-
dimensional movement of a cursor on a
computer monitor. Researchers then
moved a two-dimensional cursor, and
finally achieved 3-D control over a virtual
helicopter.
Now it is a real object, they are able to
control an actual flying robot drone
which was formally an augmented
reality.
To control the model helicopter with just
thoughts, the team's computers
interface with the WiFi controls in the
robot (helicopter). After processing the
EEG brain signals into a command, the
computer sends the command to the
helicopter by WiFi.
The researchers describe how the team,
consisting of five scientists, learned to
guide the flying robot.
Karl LaFleur, a senior biomedical
engineering student, said:
"Working for Dr. He has been a
phenomenal experience. He has so
much experience with the scientific
process, and he is excellent at helping
his students learn this process while
allowing them room for independent
work. Being an author on a first-person
journal article is a huge opportunity that
most undergraduates never get."
LaFleur, who is entering medical school
next year, says he plans to put his
knowledge into use there.
LeFleur continued:
"I think the potential for BCI is very
broad. Next, we want to apply the flying
robot technology to help disabled
patients interact with the world. It may
even help patients with conditions like
stroke or Alzheimer's disease. We're now
studying some stroke patients to see if
it'll help rewire brain circuits to bypass
damaged areas."
Previous studies on using
just thoughts
In 2011, scientists from the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC
Rehabilitation Institute created a
computer interface that helped a
paralyzed man move a prosthetic arm
just with thoughts . All he needed to do
was use his thoughts and the arm
moved.
Researchers from the University of Essex
and the University of Plymouth, both in
England, created technology that
allowed a patient with locked-in
syndrome to play music just by thinking
about it . They published their study in
the journal Music and Medicine (March
2011 issue). www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261528.php