The most innovative wheelchairs being developed today are soon going to help the disabled get where they need to go in a new and exciting way: Thought control.
Imagine a wheelchair that can be directed by brain signals detected from a unique cap worn by the user. THis is the work of scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland (EPFL).
The developers are using this technology to help people control machines via brain signals, which they say will revolutionize the way the paralysed and disabled maneuver.
I find this video demonstration fascinating:
The main focus of bionics to date has been on providing prosthetics for amputees. Prosthetic arms can now be controlled by nerve signals in the remaining arm, which can be picked up by electric sensors on the skin.
Developers say the next innovation may be bionic limbs which are able to “feel.”