Neuro controller

[taximan]

Hiya,

Does anyone know what components would be needed to make one of these?

The obvious start is a pair of scrap headphones for the headband and well....it's a start.

My friends son has celebral palsy and is wheelchair bound.........can you imagine what something like this controlling a wheelchair (or whatever) would do for someone in that position?

I know it's not a midi project as such but the possibilities are enormous.....I think.

http://www.emotiv.com/apps/epoc/297/

cheers

Paul

[frailn]

I can't answer your question about parts. But, the fact that the developer's headset is only $500 is a testament to how far technology has come. Technology like this used to only belong to the realm of governments and major universities who had tens of thousands of dollars to spend.

The possibilities are enormous.

Imagine a club where the music was created by the combined brain wave patterns of everyone in the room. Would you create software the mixed the music? OR could there be an interface for a DJ to combine all the elements into a flow.

What about mixing this with wearable electronics, something similar to the Arduino LilyPad.

I'm going to go to the library and check out a copy of Gibson's Neuromancer, this weekend.

[lylehaze]

...can you imagine what something like this controlling a wheelchair (or whatever) would do for someone in that position?

I often wish I had pushed myself into a medical devices engineering career... the interface of modern technology with various physical limitations is a really exciting field. I'd love to re-define the term "Embedded Processor".

But on the downside: Can you imagine what the insurance premiums would be for the company that makes a neurally controlled wheelchair?

I think they would need to develop and test the system out on a non-hazardous output device first, perhaps a keyboard/mouse or speech synthesizer.. At least in those scenarios the worst you might get would be a few colorful four-letter words.

Still.. the possibilities are all around us.. it will be interesting to see where these will be allowed to develop.

LyleHaze

[ilmenator]

But on the downside: Can you imagine what the insurance premiums would be for the company that makes a neurally controlled wheelchair?

I think they would need to develop and test the system out on a non-hazardous output device first, perhaps a keyboard/mouse or speech synthesizer.. At least in those scenarios the worst you might get would be a few colorful four-letter words.

In the mid-nineties, as a student, I worked at an institute where we were trying to develop a voice-controlled wheelchair. That was the time when "Dragon Naturally Speaking" was the software to use. You were supposed to give one-word driving directions to the wheelchair, like "left", "right", "stop". No embedded system, but a PC attached to the wheelchair, and a truck battery underneath. We were testing the system in a large hall with a number of pillars to support the roof. The point was that whenever the wheelchair approached one of the pillars, as a user you were afraid of crashing into the pillar, which altered your voice, so that the system would not recognize your commands any longer... (Yes, it's impossible to relax when you see that you are driven against an obstacle.) Fun for us it was, but not very close to application in real life.

[taximan]

Hiya,

Thanks for your input guys,I can see problems with a chair for sure but with the sensors and electronics/software combinations available I am sure something safe could be developed (just thinking out loud here btw).

A guy that has had to rely on being pushed and carried everywhere would just be happy (ecstatic maybe?) at just being able to move around a level plot (parking lot/shopping mall etc).

The other thing I was thinking of was the control of prosthetic limbs (my dad just lost half his leg to gangrene/bad circulation and the other leg isn't looking so great)....I have seen 'bionic' hand arms and legs on the web but the prices are very prohibitive at the moment.

Keep the ideas coming guys....their is something here that could help a lot of folks out.

Musically....wow!!!!! the possibilities are astounding.

cheers

Paul