Toyota develops technology for brain waves to steer wheelchair

[IDemo]

By Associated Press
6:14 AM PDT, June 29, 2009

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. says it has developed a way of steering a wheelchair by just detecting brain waves, without the person having to move a muscle or shout a command.

Toyota's system, developed in a collaboration with researchers in Japan, is among the fastest in the world in analyzing brain waves, it said in a release Monday.

Past systems required several seconds to read brain waves, but the new technology requires only 125 milliseconds — or 125 thousandths of a second.

The person in the wheelchair wears a cap that can read brain signals, which are relayed to a brain scan electroencephalograph, or EEG, on the electrically powered wheelchair, and then analyzed in a computer program.

http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-as-tec-japan-brain-controlled-wheelchair,0,2892848.story

[SidDithers]

1. Sounds great, but it's Toyota...

Americans should only buy American union-made brain-wave reading wheelchairs.

Sid

[tekisui]

2. I wonder how this would work with people who loose focus,

and are easily distracted.

[Bonhomme Richard]

3. LOL, if brain waves steered a car the conservatives would be....

blocking traffic everywhere because the car wouldn't be able to move. Their brain waves are pre-programmed to resist any change.

[IDemo]

4. Plus they could only make right turns

[Odin2005]

6. You owe me a new keyboard!!!

:rofl:

[Bonhomme Richard]

8. Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself. n/t

[Odin2005]

5. I have a friend who would LOVE this!

:D

[Ezlivin]

7. My wheelchair would always turn left

I'm not giving up my manual chair for a fancy powered chair just yet (and if I'm lucky—never).

[Stevenmarc]

9. .