Chinese company BrainCo unveils first 'brain-to-robot' interface for controlling robots with your thoughts

Chinese company BrainCo unveils first 'brain-to-robot' interface for controlling robots with your thoughts

The latest in brain-computer interfaces can work directly with robots, without any physical input or verbal instruction.

Robotic arms and other devices too. A new 'brain-to-robot' interface has been unveiled in China. It uses non-invasive EEG technology. The system will supply much-needed real-world AI training data.

We're seeing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) continue to get more advanced and more practical, and Chinese company BrainCo has now announced another first: a BCI that enables robots to be controlled by thoughts. As reported by the South China Morning Post, BrainCo says the system works through EEG (electroencephalogram) headsets worn by human operators, which translate neural activity into instructions for robots to follow.

Like other similar 'mind reading' devices, it's based on vast amounts of training data that associate specific neuron activity with specific commands as they're imagined in the brain. AI algorithms then manage the job of finding the right action for the right thought.

It's called the Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform, and it was unveiled at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai - the biggest and most important AI tech event on the calendar in China.

Think it into reality

BrainCo says that as well as being used to control robots, the system can also act as an interface to connect to robotic arms and other devices. A robotic arm could be instructed to pick up a cup through thoughts alone, for example.

As the Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform becomes more widely used, it will also be collecting data - data that can then be applied to refine the underlying algorithms further. High-quality training data is currently one of the major bottlenecks in the industry.

"The embodied AI industry has made remarkable progress on what robots can do on their own," said Nyx He, a partner and senior vice-president at BrainCo. "We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with."

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With AI models continuing to get smarter and more sophisticated, this is going to feed into the 'physical AI' of robotics - giving these machines greater flexibility, more dexterity, and as we've seen here, thought-controlled inputs.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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