Thoughts Control a Flying Robot

By Life Sciences Staff

Dr. Bin He of the University of Minnesota (USA) and some of his students made the news recently with their demonstration of how brain waves can control a small flying drone, manuvering it in a 3D space and through obstacles. But while the demonstration had a dramatic, almost science fiction flavor, it was meant to show how external objects (think, perhaps, of a motorized wheelchair or a robotic arm) could be controlled by electrodes placed on a person’s scalp – not implanted in the skull.

Dr He’s objective is to allow non-invasive brain-computer interface technology to help disabled patients interact with the world. He is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Neuroscience, and Director of Biomedical Functional Imaging and Neuroengineering Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. He also serves as Director of the Center for Neuroengineering, Director of the NSF IGERT Neuroengineering Training Program, Director of the NIH Neuroimaging Training Program, as well as Director of the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, at the University of Minnesota.

Click here to learn more about the mind-controlled drone, and to see a video of it in action.

Dr. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a former President of its Engineering in Medicine and Biology Section. He is Co-Chair of the IEEE Life Sciences Project Team, and chaired the 2012 IEEE Life Sciences Grand Challenges Conference.