Robot Hand Controlled by Thought Alone From: New Scientist Tech - 05/26/2006 By: Will Knight Researchers in Japan have used a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique to control a robotic hand through the power of thought. Yukiyasu Kamitani and colleagues at the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto were assisted by researchers at the Honda Research Institute in Saitama in developing the fMRI scanning technology. In a demonstration, the researchers had a subject lay inside an MRI scanner, then make "rock, paper, scissor" shapes with a hand. The MRI scanner recorded brain activity as the subject made the movements with her hand, and delivered the data to a connected computer. A brief training period ensued before the computer made the connection between brain activity and the corresponding shape, and then commanded the robotic hand to mimic the rock, paper, and scissor hand movements. The real-time fMRI on brain activity is considered a breakthrough in research into prosthetics and the operation of computers using the power of thought. Although Klaus-Robert Mueller, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, has some concerns about the cost and complexity of the system, he says it produces higher resolution. "We will need several breakthroughs in related technologies, including those for brain scanning hardware, before this type of non-invasive systems will be used in daily life," says Kamitani. Read the entire article at: http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9237-robot-hand-controlled-by-thought-alone.html --- Brain-Robot Interface From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 06/06/2006 Honda Motor Co. and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories (Tokyo, Japan) have developed a brain-machine interface (BMI) that uses brain signals to control robotic movement. Unlike past experiments that used surgically implanted electrode arrays or specially trained users, the new technology uses an MRI. When a user moves his fingers, the MRI detects the magnetic imprint of the pertinent brain activity. The neurally decoded commands are then relayed as instructions to a robotic hand. Scientists are quick to point out that only the simplest of movements can be robotically mimicked, and there is a lag of seven seconds between user and robot. Nevertheless, the BMI researchers succeeded in gaining a neural decoding accuracy of 85%. Read the entire article at: http://www.cns.atr.jp/News/20060526honda_atrE.html --- Links: Yukiyasu Kamitani, PhD http://www.cns.atr.jp/~kmtn/ Researchers Develop Brain-Robot Interface http://cognews.com/1148844253/ Honda says brain waves control robot http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12969307/ Honda Invents Brain-Robot Interface http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=121000034XQB Robot Interfaces with Brain http://www.techweb.com/wire/networking/188500338 http://www.ddj.com/dept/ai/188500545 Honda devises way for brain signals to control robot http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/robotics/2006-05-24-robot-brain_x.htm Honda Says Brain Waves Control Robot http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/24/AR2006052402279.html Researchers Demo New Robot-Human Interface http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=188500468 Brain Waves Make Robot Move http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,70982-0.html?tw=rss.index Klaus-Robert Mueller http://ida.first.fraunhofer.de/~klaus/ http://canberra06.mlss.cc/?q=user/view/234 An interface between brain and computer http://ida.first.fhg.de/projects/bci/bbci_official/index_en.html Brain-controlled device could help the disabled http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=265991 Thoughts Trigger Mental Typewriter http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060417/mentaltyping_tec.html