Wheelchair Moves at the Speed of Thought
From: New Scientist - July 24, 2003
By: Duncan Graham-Rowe

Researchers at Switzerland's Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial
Intelligence, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Barcelona's
Center for Biomedical Engineering Research have developed a noninvasive,
electroencephalographic technology that would enable a disabled person to
mentally control the movements of a wheelchair, once the system is perfected.
The user wears a skullcap studded with electrodes wired to a computer, which
uses software to translate brain activity into one of three specific commands
- "move forward," "turn right," and "turn left" - and then wirelessly
transmits these commands to a wheeled robot. To avoid collisions, the
software reads that the commands to move right, left, or forward should be
followed only when the opportunity presents itself, and the robot is equipped
with infrared sensors to register its proximity to walls and objects. The
robot's planned course of action is illuminated on the device, allowing the
user to detect command errors and take remedial measures with time to spare.
Experimentation has demonstrated that a user can learn to skillfully control
the robot mentally within two days. The research team is modifying the system
to recognize a greater number of mental states, while Jose Millan of the
Dalle Molle Institute notes it has yet to be seen whether the EEG signals
picked up by the cap will be weakened when the user is sitting in the moving
wheelchair. The Spinal Injuries Association executive director Paul Smith
says the technology promises "huge" psychological advantages for paralysis
victims.

Read the entire story at:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993967

http://www.atnet.org/news/aug03/080103.htm