Chinese Researchers Create Mind-controlled Drone

Chinese researchers create mind-controlled quadcopter drone

October 8, 2012

RawStory - Computer scientists at Zhejiang University in China have developed a flying drone that is controlled using brain signals alone.

The researchers use an electroencephalography (EEG) headset — which measures electrical activity in the brain — and a laptop computer to translate thoughts into commands to control the drone. The researchers can move drone forward by thinking “right,” fly upward by thinking “push,” descend by clenching their teeth, and take a picture by blinking their eyes four times.

EEG machines have existed for more than a century, but researchers said developing software that could interpret brain signals was no easy task.

“If you want to use this thing, the hardest part is that it processes signals very quickly. You have to figure out if the meaning of the static is good or bad, and that relies on the computer’s analysis,” Professor Gang-Pen told Reuters.

The researchers hope the technology will one day benefit those who are disabled. They expect it will take many more years to perfect the technology.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by Reuters, below: