Honda Robot Controlled By Brain Waves 137
Dotnaught writes "Honda researchers to have developed a way to control robots using human brain waves. Using brain signals read from a person in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, a robotic hand mirrored the movement of the human controller, spreading its fingers and making a 'V' sign."
I for one . . . (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I for one . . . (Score:1, Funny)
Viva la resistencia!
Re:I for one . . . (Score:2)
I for one welcome the lack of originality on
At least they aren't thinking for themselves... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:At least they aren't thinking for themselves... (Score:5, Funny)
finally! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:finally! (Score:1)
Re:finally! (Score:2)
When the robot starts showing the other sign, with only the middle finger raised, then we should start worrying.
Where's Mitchell Gant when you need him? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Where's Mitchell Gant when you need him? (Score:2)
Re:Where's Mitchell Gant when you need him? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Where's Mitchell Gant when you need him? (Score:1)
Unfortunately... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Unfortunately... (Score:1)
Re:Unfortunately... (Score:1)
So it was actually reading Michael Jackson's mind...
Science Fiction! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Science Fiction! (Score:2)
The plots or the movies?
It's good to see they're making progress (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:It's good to see they're making progress (Score:1)
Re:It's good to see they're making progress (Score:2)
Seriously though, this could work wonder for quadraplegics and such, where their real limbs don't work anymore, but they can still make the thoughts that would do so if they did work.
Re:It's good to see they're making progress (Score:1)
Re:It's good to see they're making progress (Score:1)
With mind-reading robots available (Score:4, Funny)
Ask and ye shall receive (Score:5, Informative)
With this technology (Score:5, Funny)
Re:With this technology (Score:2)
More importantly you could finally get that candy from the baby!
Re:With this technology (Score:2)
Also found in the news: (Score:2, Funny)
Ironically (Score:2)
Re:Ironically (Score:2)
seems like they went backwards (Score:2)
Re:seems like they went backwards (Score:2)
So you don' t have to... (Score:1)
basically... (Score:1)
Prosthetics? (Score:1)
It certiably worked for (Score:2)
http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/darthv
Just what we need, (Score:1, Funny)
Let me guess... (Score:1)
Who has a billion dollars? (Score:1)
Re:Who has a billion dollars? (Score:3, Funny)
Behind the curtain (Score:2)
In a video demonstration in Tokyo, brain signals detected by a magnetic resonance imaging scanner were relayed to a robotic hand. A person in the MRI machine made a fist, spread his fingers and then made a V-sign. Several seconds later, a robotic hand mimicked the movements. (emphasis mine)
Afterward, a reporter who strayed too far from the crowd was warned by security not to look behind the curtain.
It's probably just latency (Score:4, Informative)
Re:It's probably just latency (Score:2)
Re:Behind the curtain (Score:2)
Re:Behind the curtain (Score:2)
Actually, even if the recordation of the brainwaves controlling the motion was instantaneous (which is, apparently, is not - I'm a rocket scientist, not a brain surgeon) I would anticipate a good deal of postprocessing to get the motion reformatted from MRI raw data to motor controls. Actually, I think several seconds is pretty damned good.
Of course, if the sister post here is true (1-5 seconds of delay for O2 variation sensing), we won't see this for any sort of useful controls in rea
Re:Behind the curtain (Score:1)
Except they're not reading "brainwaves", i.e. EEG, but MRI. MRI readings lags brain activity.
Technology upgrade! (Score:2)
From Ork (Score:1)
Quirky Robots (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Quirky Robots (Score:2)
I've always thought... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I've always thought... (Score:1)
That's interesting about the machine segfaulting though. I imagine the one that came from the 'It works, holy shit it works!' school of thought would fuck you mightily while the one that came from the "That's what I want it to do." school would do nothing harmful.
Is it just me... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Is it just me... (Score:1)
I want my EVA! (Score:1)
universality? (Score:5, Interesting)
While I'm sure that bloodflow signatures for physical movements are similar between individuals, is there too much variability to prevent false recognition of a 'signal'?
Any neurobiologists out there care to help out?
Re:universality? (Score:5, Interesting)
At this point, it is surprising that they can even do it for an individual (discerning among these three quite similar hand movements). I am kind of skeptical myself. There is a lot of variability in fMRI signal even within an individual. I would guess the system is trained on a specific individual.
Between individuals you have additional sources of variability; for example, the foldings of the cortex are quite different from person to person. I personally have a very unusual precentral gyrus on the left side. Activity maps are typically aligned to anatomical maps so finding correspondences between individuals has to deal with the challenges of anatomical variability.
For gross things, it can be quite obvious what the person is doing. I can tell by looking at the activations in your brain if you are looking at something versus hearing something. But looking at a duck versus looking at a cow? Much harder. Making a V-sign versus making a fist? I've never seen a paper where someone reported being able to do this. It is theoretically possible, but difficult with a blurry MRI signal that aggregates over populations of neurons. You can certainly do it if you implant electrodes into the brain. Recordings from monkey premotor cortex, for example, find neurons that fire when specific movements are made.
Re:universality? (Score:3, Informative)
I think this research is a follow-up to a study Ka
Re:universality? (Score:2)
Re:universality? (Score:2)
Alas, I don't happen to have such a reference handy.
Re:universality? (Score:2, Interesting)
This is also demonstrated to learning to use a joystick or gamepad. Anyone new to a different kind of interface needs to make certain adjustments and brain motor connections to accommodate a new
hmmmm (Score:5, Informative)
By the way, MRI does not measure "brain waves". It measures blood oxygenation changes, which are related to the firing of neurons.
Re:hmmmm (Score:1)
And there's one of the big problems with fMRI:
By the way, MRI does not measure "brain waves". It measures blood oxygenation changes, which are related to the firing of neurons.
It is quite likely that the BOLD signal and neural spiking are related. Everybody believes it, myself included. But there is still not that much evidence of the connection.
Re:hmmmm (Score:2)
It is quite likely that the BOLD signal and neural spiking are related. Everybody believes it, myself included. But there is still not that much evidence of the connection.
What are your thoughts on the experiments by Nikos Logothetis [nature.com] where he did electrophysiological recordings of neurons and fMRI simultaneously (certainly not an easy feat). In his study he showed that the
Re:hmmmm (Score:2)
Mukamel, R., Gelbard, H., Arieli, A., Hasson, U., Fried, I., Malach, R., (2005). Coupling between neuronal firing, field potentials, and FMRI in human auditory cortex. Science, 309(5736),951-4.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an important tool for investigating human brain function, but the relationship between the hemodynamically based fMRI signals in the human brain and the underlying neuronal activity is uncl
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Get ready for the robot wars... (Score:2)
cool :) (Score:1)
Re:cool :) (Score:1)
like the monkey stuff from a few years ago (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's an article from New Scientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4262 [newscientist.com]
Re:like the monkey stuff from a few years ago (Score:2)
Sorry, what's the difference?
Promising Research (Score:1)
Also, if they did deve
Re:Promising Research (Score:2)
That depends on where they are getting the relevant information from. Imagining a movement and performing it produce overlapping but not identical brain activations. If they can get enough info from just the overlapping areas then conceivably you could do that...
Re:Promising Research (Score:1)
Tell that to my 16-year-old sister
New meaning to telecommuting (Score:3, Interesting)
Meanwhile, video from teh robot's 'eye' are transmitted to a 3d viewer in front of your face.
Forget star-rek transporters. Thisi s the next best (and plausible) thing.
Very bad implications for crime and terrorism, though.
Re:New meaning to telecommuting (Score:2)
I don't know that it would be that bad for crime and terrorism. Sure, th
More Links (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/honda_develop
And all the other links that were related:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/24/hondas-asimo-g
http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=12565 [japancorp.net]
The Japancorp has the most information than both the engadget and then Yahoo.
Obligatory... (Score:1)
I, for one, welcome our new shocker-wielding robotic overlords.
I know what they are all thinking (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, why else has Japan dumped all this money into robotics and AI over the past 30 years? It's because everyone there grew up on Gigantor http://www.gigantor.org/ [gigantor.org] and Gundom, that's why. They are going to make giant fighting robots if it kills them.
Really though, this is all just trying to fill a void after the death of Godzilla in the late 60's. Substituting one giant stompy thing for another.
If you want to learn more about the life and times of gozilla and natures other lovable giant scamps, then I suggest you check out "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah - Gaint Monster All Out Attack an A&E biography."
Re:I know what they are all thinking (Score:1)
My kids couldn't ever use it. (Score:3, Interesting)
Kidding aside, I understand that during adolescence the brain completely reorganizes higher functions -- often shifting the center or processing for many of them to entirely different places.
Exactly how would this ASIMO++ handle that?
Oh, and what about blondes?
Re:My kids couldn't ever use it. (Score:1)
So, here's the technical question... (Score:4, Funny)
Tom Caudron
http://tom.digitalelite.com/ [digitalelite.com]
P.S. I look forward to 15 years from now when my daughter reads this comment after searching on my name. What a proud moment in my history to share with future generations.
Re:So, here's the technical question... (Score:1)
Re:So, here's the technical question... (Score:2)
Re:So, here's the technical question... (Score:2)
Re:So, here's the technical question... (Score:2)
Flipping off the Brits (Score:1)
My reaction to TFA (Score:2)
Even more important than robotics would be the application to artificial/cybernetic replacement limbs. If they could miniturize the sensor technology to where it could be embedded in a hat, or (even better) just under the skin of the scalp, it could be use
Seig Zeon!! (Score:2)
Movie references... (Score:2)
Dr. Strangelove's unruly prosthetic arm is what always comes to my mind when someone mentions artificial limbs or humanoid robots. Besides, how can anyone forget a movie that has a character named "General Jack D. Ripper"? I guess I must be getting old... =8(
Re:Movie references... (Score:1)
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto (Score:1)
Re:Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto (Score:1)
Strangely they left out the elements about Kilroy! Kilroy.
Re: (Score:1)
10 yrs ago... (Score:2)
Here's all I can find of it: http://www.raven1.net/minddriv.htm [raven1.net]
Could be bad... (Score:1)
Ok, so now... (Score:1)
Re:Useless! (Score:1)