Calling all telekinetics!
Well, not quite. But the next best thing to truly controlling matter with your mind might be controlling a drone through the power of your thoughts.
It sounds straight out of science fiction (and in a sense, it is), but a lot of great science fact began as fiction.
Engineering and computer science students at the University of Florida seem to agree, which inspired them to create an interface that allows someone to control a small aerial drone with their brain.
But what do you do with brain-controlled drones?
Off to the Brain-Drone Races!
Self-billed as the world’s first brain-controlled drone race, UF students in the college of computer information and engineering held a competition to see who could think their drone across the finish line first.
(Image courtesy of the University of Florida.)
The setup is comprised of a non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI), a computer with specially-programed software and a small aerial drone.
A BCI is a device that enables some form of interaction which can be used to control machines or other devices. In this case, the BCI devices are headsets that use electroencephalography (EEG) to detect the electrical activity produced by the user’s brain activity.
The headsets were calibrated to identify specific signals with particular thought processes in the wearer. The software developed by the team then translates these signals into instructions that are delivered to the drone – and the flight begins.
“Imagine it like brainstorms,” said Chris Crawford, a PhD student involved with the Brain-Computer Interface Research Group at UF who developed the system used in the race. “We’re collecting those brainstorms and patterns that are firing off from the neurons in your brain, and figuring out what you’re thinking based on that information.”
Faster, Higher, Stronger
(Image courtesy of the University of Florida.)
Drone racing may not be an official sport (yet), but the Olympic motto still applies.
While the frame of the event was technological, the core still revolved around which of the student participants could muster the most cognitive ability and mental endurance to out-think and out-focus their opponents.
“You start thinking, and you hear that motor kick up, it kicks you into a different mental state, so you have to focus on just a cube,” explained mechanical engineering student Daniel Royer. The software interface used a cube on the computer screen for racers to focus their thoughts. “Once they perfect it, and after they have a lot of development done, this could be used in every part of our lives.”
BCIs for More than Medical Applications
Most current uses for BCI interfaces are medical, especially related to the integration and control of prosthetic limbs. But the UF teams see projects like the Brain-Drone Race as a way to expand the use of this technology into the wider world.
“UF is one of the few schools in the country working in this area, and thinking how can we use robots outside the lab, using our brains, so they can help us do real-world tasks,” said Marvin Andujar, a PhD student in the computer and information science and engineering department.
“Some people might not like the fact of having robots at home, and especially concerning their brain. It’s not something that people are used to, to actually do all the time. It will face a lot of controversy in the beginning, but that’s one part of the challenge as a researcher: how can we make people comfortable using this technology out there?” Andujar concluded.
France Jackson, another CISE PhD student added, “We’re really looking at it from a different perspective. We’re looking at it from an overall perspective, from a user-centered perspective, whereas a lot of other researchers are looking at it from a technology-centered perspective, saying ‘okay, this is something cool you can do. But we’re looking at it from a much larger picture, starting with the person and their experience.”
Though the 2016 event is over, the team hopes for the races to become an annual event, and to expand in scope and participation. To keep up with the next time you might have the chance to brain-race a drone, check out the Brain-Drone Race website or the Brain-Computer Interface Research Group at University of Florida.