Important Innovations Collection

Mind Over Matter with No Surgery Source:  Carnegie Mellon University Electrode Cape A new, noninvasive electrode cap - a brain computer interface (BCI) - enables the person wearing it to control a robotic arm by their thoughts.  It's breakthrough technology invented by engineers at Carnegie Mellon University.  It's the world's first, noninvasive mind controlled robotic arm.  No brain surgery or brain implants are involved. Helping Those With Mobility Issues The BCI system was developed with the goal of it helping people with mobility issues.  The electrode loaded cap can sense the brain's activity through the scalp.  The  Brain Computer Interface cap is able to make the robotic arm continuously and smoothly track and follow a computer curser by conveying the thoughts of the person.  To develop this system the team used novel sensing and machine learning techniques. Pervasive Assistive Technology The engineering team believe the BCI ...

World 1st:  Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Continuously Tracks & Follows Computer Cursor Source:  Carnegie Mellon & University of  Minnesota Breakthrough Technology This is very exciting breakthrough technology.  Engineers from Carnegie Mellon and University of Minnesota have invented a non-invasive, brain-computer interface (BCI).  It's an EEG cap that enables a person to control a robotic arm simply by their thoughts.  The control over the robotic arm is very sophisticated.  Through the person's thoughts, the robotic arm can continuously track and follow a computer cursor.  No surgery and no brain implant are required. Head Cap - Noninvasive Robot Device Control The team has developed an EEG head cap that can detect signals deep in the brain.  These signals of information and commands are clarified by new, novel sensing and machine learning techniques that the team invented.  This is also the first, noninvasive robot de...

Big Robotic Challenge - Robotics Overcome Complexity of Playing Piano Source:  University of Cambridge UK Cambridge Roboticists Have Created a Robotic Hand that's a Pianist University of Cambridge roboticists have created a passive movement robotic hand that can play the piano.  That was quite a challenge.  Playing the piano is one of the most complex human activities with complex physical, mental and emotional behavior.  The robotic arm that the team has created may lead to more natural moving robots with minimal energy use.  For a news blog on this fascinating development, go to my journalist colleague Maryanne Kane at  https://www.importantinnovations.com/2018/12/robot-piano-player.html   And for more new stories on innovation including robotics go to  amazon.com/author/ekane