Winking Controls Robotic Arm

Robot arms are nothing new in the world of technology, but those tend to be controlled independently of a human brain, or attached as a smart prosthetic to help the disabled out. However, University of Toronto student Ryan Mintz and his team have come up with something special, which is a robotic arm that is capable of responding to brain waves that are captured using a special headset. It is their hope that they will be able to come up with robotic limbs or prosthetics one fine day down the road which can be controlled using thoughts alone.

The brainwave-sensing headset is worn over the head, and the entire shebang ain’t too bulky at all. It will be connected to a laptop, where the software will then get to work by steering the arm using subtle head movements, ranging from clenching your jaw or even by winking your eye. Not only that, it is capable of figuring out just when are you relaxed and otherwise.

While the hardware has been specially designed to target mobility and prosthetic limbs primarily, we are quite sure that it might even see application in military situations, although as to what kind of ideas that will materalize in remains to be seen.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers, Robots
Tags: Robotics, Science