Mind-control Robotics: Clinical Uses Part 1
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Robots and AI divide the public. There will always be long-standing sceptics and those are simply fearful of robots and their possible impact. The fact is, though, that robots are already part of our technological evolution and they're here to stay. Robotic developments do not all revolve around the military or space travel, though, nor do they always revolve around an individualistic desire for power or dominance. Many robots are assisting sufferers of many types of disease, improving qualities of life in ways never thought possible.
Since time began...
We have craved for a technological mastery over machines which assists us in our quest for dominance over the forces of nature. Inspired and motivated through human innovation, intelligence and creativity and partly spurred on by the fear of death, fragility and decay, our biological intelligence has seen us develop a diverse array of technologies which transform us apart from the organic world.
All-powerful towering constructs of metallic awe have long featured in science fiction - whether it's Skynet and an army of techno-bots hellbent on bringing death and destruction to earth, vehicles from the Transformer's franchise or any of the huge selection of fantastic machines from Star Wars, robots have been imagined to be capable of almost anything.
Robots are often depicted as antagonists and there are obviously grounds for fearing humanity's robotic future. Many prolific scientists, including the late-great Stephen Hawking himself have warned over the dangers of AI. Autonomous robots set to destroy humans or other biological matter is a definitely-possible and obviously scary eventuality but there are many developments in robotics that seek to utilise mind-control techniques which allow us to retain ultimate control over our high-tech machines. Mind-control robots are already in various stages of development and the possibilities are broadening to offer many applications in clinical environments.
Aiding Those With Disabilities
Prosthetic limbs have existed since the early 1900s but current prosthetics feature movement accurate to a biological limb. Mind-control techniques for movement are developing to offer patients limbs which they can move and sense like the real thing.
Mind-control robotics have already assisted communication in sufferers of neuro-degnerative disease like ALS. ALS can lead to a condition called locked-in syndrome where a patient has no ability to move any muscle in their body aside from some associated with eye movement. Generally, patients with locked-in syndrome cannot easily communicate, but in several cases, using combinations of near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography (EEG), tested patients were able to communicate easily using ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Hope remains that this could be advanced to a point where sufferers of severe speech disability can communicate in short or even advanced sentences by simply conjuring the sentences in their mind.
The Dawn of Mind-control Robotics
“Imagine being able to instantaneously command a robot without needing to push a command, press a button or even say a word,” - Daniela Rus, from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, Massachusetts.
EEG robotics have always been somewhat reliant on interpreting logical data, like sequences of commands. Techniques are developing ways of controlling robots with more abstract and natural thoughts. New EEG methods use “error-related potentials” (ErrPs). This type of brain signal is generated when we become aware of developing mistakes. If something is wrong - say an object is placed in the wrong place or a task is carried out incorrectly - our brains generate a readable signal. By connecting robots to ErrPs, we can control robots by disagreeing with their actions. Via machine learning, robots would adapt to carry out tasks correctly.
I can only imagine how strange it must feel to control a robot through an EEG or implanted sensor. When you move your arm it's not something you consciously think about or command, the signals all happen sub-consciously. To just have a machine move at your will, without thinking a command, must be an odd experience.
It would be very strange but in the circumstance you've just regained control and sense after losing a limb then maybe the brain would adapt particularly quickly?