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Toyota Motor Unveils a BMI Wheelchair 'Steered by Thought'
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by Tina Kells | June 29, 2009 at 03:55 pm
201 views | 38 Recommendations | 2 comments
Toyota Motor out of Japan unveiled technology June 30, 2009 that allows a wheelchair to be steered by the power of thought. The innovative cutting-edge technology will allow elderly and disabled people a new level of freedom.
Using a Brain Machine Interface (BMI) the wheelchair will be steered by brain signals picked up by a series of electrodes attached to the head. The BMI will interpret the signals for certain physical movements and relay them to the wheelchair. In this early stage the technology is already 95 percent accurate and adapts to the personal brain wave characteristics of each individual.
The cutting-edge Brain Machine Interface (BMI) technology uses electrodes attached to the scalp to measure localised brain activity when a user concentrates on certain physical movements.
The signals are displayed on a panel in almost real time and translated into instructions to steer the motorised wheelchair, the researchers said.
"Such systems allow elderly and handicapped people to interact with the world through signals from their brains without having to give voice commands," Toyota said in a statement.
"This technology is expected to be useful in the field of rehabilitation, and for physical and psychological support of wheelchair drivers," it added.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 20:20 on June 29th, 2009
This is going to be a major advance in tools to assist handicaps. Technology and Biometrics combined with Nano technology may help some of the most severe handicaps we can be faced with.
at 21:54 on June 29th, 2009
Fascinating!