You Can Now Control A Wheelchairs With Your Brain Waves Alone
(Posted on Thursday, January 5, 2023)
Scientists at the University of Padova in Italy have proven that by using a completely non-invasive brain-machine interface technology, those who are fully paralyzed can drive a wheelchair simply by using their minds and a cap that decodes their brain waves.
Brain-machine interface technology uses electrodes to measure the electrical activity in the brain. Electrical activity in the brain can then be decoded and used to give directions to a machine. In the past, these machines have mainly been computers or robotic prosthetics, but recently scientists have considered how brain-machine interface technology could be used to control wheelchairs.
Researchers have created brain-machine interface-controlled wheelchairs in the past, but none of them have actually been applied to a clinical setting and tested on those with severe motor impairments. Due to this, Tonin et al. were interested in conducting a study where they took a brain-machine interface-controlled wheelchair and translated the technology to a clinical setting with patients suffering from severe paralysis.