Date: March 23, 2017
Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology
Korean researchers have developed a technology that
can remotely control an animal's movement with human thought.
In the 2009 blockbuster "Avatar," a human
remotely controls the body of an alien. It does so by injecting human
intelligence into a remotely located, biological body. Although still in the
realm of science fiction, researchers are nevertheless developing so-called
'brain-computer interfaces' (BCIs) following recent advances in electronics and
computing. These technologies can 'read' and use human thought to control
machines, for example, humanoid robots.
New research has demonstrated the possibility of
combining a BCI with a device that transmits information from a computer to a
brain, or a so-called 'computer-to-brain interface' (CBI). The combination of
these devices could be used to establish a functional link between the brains
of different species. Now, researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of
Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a human-turtle interaction system
in which a signal originating from a human brain can affect where a turtle
moves.
Unlike previous research that has tried to control
animal movement by applying invasive methods, most notably in insects, KAIST
researchers propose a conceptual system that can guide an animal's moving path
by controlling its instinctive escape behaviour. They chose the turtle because
of its cognitive abilities as well as its ability to distinguish different
wavelengths of light. Specifically, turtles can recognize a white light source
as an open space and so move toward it. They also show specific avoidance
behaviour to things that might obstruct their view. Turtles also move toward
and away from obstacles in their environment in a predictable manner. It was
this instinctive, predictable behaviour that the researchers induced using the
BCI.
The entire human-turtle setup is as follows: A
head-mounted display (HMD) is combined with a BCI to immerse the human user in
the turtle's environment. The human operator wears the BCI-HMD system, while
the turtle has a 'cyborg system' -- consisting of a camera, a Wi-Fi
transceiver, a computer control module and a battery -- all mounted on the
turtle's upper shell. Also included on the turtle's shell is a black
semi-cylinder with a slit, which forms the 'stimulation device'. This can be
turned ±36 degrees via the BCI.
The entire process works like this: the human
operator receives images from the camera mounted on the turtle. These real-time
video images allow the human operator to decide where the turtle should move.
The human provides thought commands that are recognized by the wearable BCI
system as electroencephalography (EEG) signals. The BCI can distinguish between
three mental states: left, right and idle. The left and right commands activate
the turtle's stimulation device via Wi-Fi, turning it so that it obstructs the
turtle's view. This invokes its natural instinct to move toward light and
change its direction. Finally, the human acquires updated visual feedback from
the camera mounted on the shell and in this way continues to remotely navigate
the turtle's trajectory.
The research demonstrates that the animal guiding
scheme via BCI can be used in a variety of environments with turtles moving
indoors and outdoors on many different surfaces, like gravel and grass, and
tackling a range of obstacles, such as shallow water and trees. This technology
could be developed to integrate positioning systems and improved augmented and
virtual reality techniques, enabling various applications, including devices
for military reconnaissance and surveillance.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Korea
Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.
/story_source
Journal Reference:
1 Cheol-Hu Kim, Bongjae Choi,
Dae-Gun Kim, Serin Lee, Sungho Jo, Phill-Seung Lee. Remote Navigation of Turtle
by Controlling Instinct Behavior via Human Brain-computer Interface. Journal of
Bionic Engineering, 2016; 13 (3): 491 DOI: 10.1016/S1672-6529(16)60322-0
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