Do you sometimes feel like you need three arms to do everything you are doing? Maybe it seems absurd but it’s not that unreal as it may seem!
Source: Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, ATR
Experiments with smart robotic limb are nothing new really. For example, bionic prostheses are something that maybe is expensive but is a way to bring back people who had a limb amputated into normal life. But now scientists from the Japanese Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International took the next step by creating a robotic third hand with the goal being to allow the user to do more tasks at once. And it’s controlled by your brain!
BMI control of a third arm for multitasking
Source: HiroshiIshiguroLab YouTube Channel
This is called brain-machine-interface (BMI). Nowadays BMI systems require the user to focus on tasks such as controlling a robotic limb while his body isn’t doing anything resulting in him being able to do only a single task. But the newly developed BMI interface is targeting multitasking. The robotic arm used during the demonstration is controlled by two electrodes, each on one side of the users head that monitor the user's brain activity. But the key is that it doesn’t require your full attention meaning that you can do something else while controlling the robotic arm.
The uses of this system are immense. Workers in factories that will get more productive, astronauts in space that could certainly use a third arm! But the system could also be used to control other devices like home appliances directly with your brain while you yourself are doing something else. The future of brain-controlled technology is finally coming!
Sources:
- https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/brain-machine-interface-japan-third-arm/
- http://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/3/20/eaat1228
