We’re still a few years away from possessing the psychic capabilities of Professor X, but nevertheless human mind-control techniques have come a long way since our favorite paraplegic superhero made his debut back in the 1960s.

SiliconANGLE previously reported on how EEG (emotiv electroencephalography) headsets can be used to play video games using the power of thought alone, not to mention how hackers could potentially use the headsets to hack into your brain and steal your credit card number. But besides playing games and using the technology for criminal purposes, EEG mind control techniques can also be used to transform the lives of disable people.

Robotic limbs

One of the most exciting applications of EEG is that it can be used to control robotic limbs through thought alone, paving the way for the development of a new generation of intelligent, prosthetic limbs.

A team of researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center recently demonstrated just how this is possible, with the creation of an EEG device linked to a prosthetic leg that can read commands from the brain, and translate these into body movements.

The technology is still in its infancy – the leg is only able to ‘walk’ at present – but the researchers hope to refine their mind-controlled limbs so that users can change the direction and speed of their movements, and eventually perform actions like standing up and sitting down.

The demonstration is impressive, and the potential is awesome. What with scientists now being able to grow human muscle tissue in a lab that can be controlled via light signals, we could one day see the development of realistic prosthetic limbs that look, feel and act just like the real thing.

Mind-Controlled Drones

Meanwhile, over in China, researchers from Zhejiang University have developed a system that allows users to ‘fly’ remote controlled drones using their minds. The designers say that they envisage the technology can help handicapped people, but the possibilities are actually endless.

Called Flybuddy2, what’s most impressive about the technology is its simplicity – the system simply hooks up a quadrotor Parrot AR drone to a laptop, which in turn is linked to a Bluetooth EEG headset. The drone has a complex range of movements that give users full control. The pilot has to “think left” hard to increase thrust and take off, “think left” lightly to rotate the coptor clockwise, and think “right” to propel it forwards. Landing is performed by imagining “clenching” something.

But Flybuddy2 can do more than just fly around – it can also snap photos of its environs, a task that the pilot can easily perform by ‘blinking’ when in range. The researchers believe that it’s this feature that makes the drone potentially useful for disabled persons, as it would allow them to better interact with the world around them.

The team plans to present its findings at the 14th CM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing this week.