For those subjects suffering from limited mobility or paralysis, it can be extremely difficult to visit somebody and spend time with him. A team of researchers at the Defitech Foundation Chair in Brain-Machine Interface (CNBI), tried to find a solution, working on a revolutionary brain-machine approach to solve the problem by helping the disabled retrieving a sense of independence. The idea behind the approach consists in the remote control of a robot from home through the use of thoughts. The study made experiments in different countries with several subjects, producing efficient results from both technical and human perspectives.

Tests and Results

During the study, 19 people in Italy, Germany and Switzerland took part in the experiments involving the remote control of a robotic unit with the use of thoughts. Nine of them were disabled while the others were healthy. For several weeks, the members taking part in the experiment wore a electrode-studded hat capable of recognising and analysing their brain signals. Then, they sent information to the robot from their home countries, instructing them to move through the use of Internet.

The robot, featuring a video camera, screen and wheels, was located in a laboratory of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, and was moving following the instruction while showing the face of the remote pilot thanks to the use of the software Skype. The person controlling the robot was able to interact with whoever met the robot, as if meeting them in first person. Professor Millán explained: “Each of the 9 subjects with disabilities managed to remotely control the robot with ease after less than 10 days of training”.

The robotic side supporting the human control One of the most interesting aspects of the new robot is its capability of supporting the human control thanks to its technologic features. The new robot has automatic functions being able to avoid obstacles by itself, even without the command of doing so. Moreover, the robot offers an auto-pilot function, being capable of following a pre-selected path in order to allow the pilot to rest and avoid excessive stress. The shared control between robot and human, facilitates the experience for the pilot while preserving his health

Healthy and disabled score same points in the tests An interesting aspect of the study concerns the fact that the tests outlined no differences between healthy and disabled subject when their piloting ability was analysed. In the second stage of the experiments, the disabled people with limited mobility were requested to pilot the robot by transmitting the movements that they were still capable of doing, just using simple movements such as the pressure of the head on buttons located nearby. Even though just moved the head, the robot executed the complete action suggested, proving the effectiveness of the thought remote control.

Progressing and evolving technology The results of the research show a positive impact and bring excellent results to a European project called TOBI, acronym of Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction, which began in 2008. The study succeeded in bringing closer the idea of robots coexisting and taking part in human daily life. Professor Millán suggested that the possibility exist but is not that easy to achieve, stating: “For this to happen, insurance companies will have to help finance these technologies.”

Find a video -> <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI6WbcXEWgI” target=”_blank”>HERE</a> <-

Written by: Pietro Paolo Frigenti