Category: BCI

  • Nerve and muscle interfaces for prosthetic control

    http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2013/05/30.aspx DARPA continues to build technology with academic partners to enable amputees to control prosthetic limbs with their minds.  Examples follow: Researchers at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago demonstrated a type of peripheral interface called targeted muscle re-innervation (TMR). By rewiring nerves from amputated limbs, new interfaces allow for prosthetic control with existing muscles. Researchers…

  • Cornell robots anticipate human actions

    http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/04/think-ahead-robots-anticipate-human-actions Cornell University researchers have programmed a PR-2 robot to not only carry out everyday tasks, but to anticipate human behavior and adjust its actions. From a database of 120 3-D videos of people performing common household activities, the robot has been trained to identify human activities by tracking the movements of the body – reduced…

  • Eldercare robots perform essential tasks

    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/disruptions-helper-robots-are-steered-tentatively-to-elder-care/ Already popular in Japan, today’s New York Times reports on the developing trend of robotic companions for the elderly. A typical Japanese example is the Tsukuba University created Hybrid Assistive Limb. The battery-powered suit senses and amplifies the wearer’s muscle action when carrying or lifting heavy objects.  Caregivers can also use the suit to…

  • Skin mounted electrode arrays measure neural signals

    http://coleman.ucsd.edu/lab-research/ Professor Todd Coleman of UCSD is developing foldable, stretchable electrode arrays that can non-invasively measure neural signals. They can also provide more in-depth analysis by including thermal sensors to monitor skin temperature and light detectors to analyze blood oxygen levels.  The device is powered by micro solar panels and uses antennae to wirelessly transmit or…

  • SOINN artificial brain learns from the internet, applies information

    http://haselab.info/soinn-e.html A group at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, led by Dr. Osamu Hasegawa, has advanced SOINN, their machine learning algorithm, which can now use the internet to learn how to perform new tasks. The system, which is under development as an artificial brain for autonomous mental development robots, is currently being used to learn…

  • Brain-machine interface allows control of limbs through thoughts

    http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681674/a-prosthetic-arm-controlled-by-your-thoughts By placing a small sensor in the brain’s motor cortex, interfaces can pick up on electrical activity, and translate it into commands that control a robotic arm. Now scientists have gone a step further. Instead of a wired brain-arm link, they have now developed a wireless connection powerful enough to work at a distance of…