The new wheelchair demo shot at EPFL is online (also HD!). More stuff here.
We also got a first page on the EPFL website.
Archive for the 'BCI' Category
Yesterday we tested the BCI-controlled wheelchair outside of our lab. Ganga took a couple of cool pictures.
Is it better now or before? Well, we were very happy to trash the TV thing, replacing it with the cheapest IKEA couch. So it is better now. I cannot say the same for my head after a routine recording with Ganga(dhar Garipelli). Btw, the holes in my head are nobody’s fault, I just wonder about the word “non-invasive”.
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- The couch
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- The head
BCI technology has far to go, and we solvently demo our prototypes for the media or during public events. We know that our prototypes work well, but once we go online in front of the audience, it is the subject that carries on the most complex task (that is, not getting stressed). If things work out of the box, we are generally happy but we are not surprised.
Tan Le is the head of Emotiv Systems, a company that inspires a few doubts among some of my colleagues. She gave a speech on TED:
“Tan Le’s astonishing new computer interface reads its user’s brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects, and even physical electronics, with mere thoughts (and a little concentration). She demos the headset, and talks about its far-reaching applications.”
Nothing against Emotiv Systems, but I believe we should be really careful in building up false expectations, specially if the technology is targeting people with disabilities. By the way, she did not promise too much and she demoed some kind of application using mental-state. It is interesting how surprised she was when everything was working more or less properly! Body language sometimes tells you more than what you would think.
The Swiss-German television SF shot a documentary at our lab! It was a pretty cool experience, and I have been driving the CNBI BCI-controled wheelchair for good!