What good is a robot if you can't order it
around with your thoughts? Rajesh Rao,
a professor of computer science and
engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, has answered this question with an input system that can be
used to control the movement of a humanoid robot with signals from a human brain.
Rao and his students have developed a system that lets people tell a robot where to go and what to pick up merely by thinking about these actions. Donning a skullcap sprinkled with 32
electrodes, users view the robot's movements on a display that
receives video signals from two cameras: one mounted on the
robot and another above it ().
Objects in front of the robot are randomly illuminated.
When users look at an item they want the robot to grasp and
then see the item suddenly brighten, the brain registers surprise. A computer detects this response and relays a signal to
the robot ordering it to grab the selected object (). A
similar process is used to determine where the robot should
place the item.
"We're using non-invasive signals from the brain to make the
robot do something interesting," Rao says. The robot used with
the interface is a two-foot-high research model manufactured
by Fujitsu, although the system could be easily adapted to work
with virtually any type of controllable robot, Rao notes.
Brain signals recorded from the scalp are inherently "noisy"
and make efficient thought control difficult, Rao says. But the
surprise response cuts through the clutter and delivers a definitive message. So far, Rao and his students have implemented
only a few basic instructions: move forward, select one of two
objects, pick the object up, and bring the item to one of two locations. But they claim a 94% success rate in trials.
Next on the agenda is making the robot's behavior more
adaptive to its environment, Rao says, such as enabling it to
avoid obstacles and handle more complex objects. This will
require the addition of artificial intelligence technology. Rao
also plans to expand the system's command set, allowing it to
support a greater number of object and placement choices.
Rao admits that the thought control system, as it currently
exists, is limited in its capabilities and serves only as a proof of
concept. Yet he believes that the general technique has the
potential to lead to a new generation of semi-autonomous
robots. Such devices could be used by disabled people to
retrieve and replace household items and to perform an array
of personal tasks. "You might even have a personal thought-controlled wheelchair someday," Rao says.
The technology also could be used in settings where hands-on robot control would be impossible or inconvenient, such as
in operating rooms or in space. He doesn't discount the system's potential as a video game system interface, either. "The
entertainment industry is one of the more obvious applications
for this technology," he says.
Basic thought control interfaces could begin appearing in
video games within the next two
to three years, Rao predicts,
with more advanced versions to
arrive in about five to 10 years.
"It's something to think about,"
he says.