Honda Mind Reading Robot Stuns Viewers

At its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Honda Motor Company demonstrated Tuesday technology which links a person's thoughts with robotics.

The operator wears a helmet which scans for electric currents stimulated by brain activity. The information is then sent to a computer. The computer is then able to program robotic movements such as opening the trunk of the vehicle or turning on the car's air conditioning. The commands usually take just seconds to reach the robot.

Honda also released a video where a humanoid robot named Asimo was operated by a person wearing the helmet who thought about raising his right hand, and Asimo then moved its right arm.

Honda states that it could be quite some time before the technology is ready to go live such as the human brain's ability to become distracted, creating mixed thought patterns. Another reason is the amount focus required by the operator.

"Practical uses are still way into the future." said Honda Research Institute Japan Co executive, Yasuhisa Arai. "I'm [just] talking about dreams today."

By Wikinews
* Yuri Kageyama "Honda shows new technology linking brain thoughts with robotics". The Associated Press, March 31, 2009

* Ian Sample "Honda unveils helmet that lets wearer control a robot by thought alone". guardian.co.uk, March 31, 2009