Toyota has tested a wheelchair that can be partially controlled through thought alone, with no need for body movement. It’s a way of using a new technology which drastically reduces the time it takes for a machine to read human brain waves.

The system developed in the test involves the user carrying a laptop which is connected to five sensors placed to pick up signals from the parts of the brain which control movement. It allows users to control forward movement and turns by thought, though emergency stops require the user to puff out their cheek muscle. The testing showed a 95 percent degree of accuracy.

The key to the system is the ability to read and interpret the brain waves in just one-eighth of a second, compared to several seconds using other methods. Part of the refinement is a technique dubbed blind signal separation, which works on a similar principle to audio clean-up technology and filters out the background noise to more quickly get to the important signal.

The system does not work to full potential from the off, but rather requires some time to learn the particular nuances of the user’s brain activity. This takes around a week’s worth of training for three hours a day. At full capacity, the system can respond so quickly that the user does not perceive any delay, making control of the wheelchair feel far more natural.

There are no immediate plans to launch the technology for commercial use. However, Toyota believes its main use for wheelchairs would be not so much as a permanent solution for those with irreversible paraplegia, but rather a way to help in rehabilitation. The firm also says there is potential to extend the technology for medical uses which deal with other types of brain wave such as those created by emotions.

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Entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 12:43 pm under Health, Robotics, Technology.

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