Imagine you could use your brain beyond telling yourself to walk forward or sideways or perhaps pick up that cup of coffee. It was a test of concentration, but a group of students at the University of Florida used their brainpower to fly drones. WATCH: Dutch police training eagles to attack drones For what is believed to be the first mind-controlled drone race, students wearing special headsets measuring the electrical activity of their brains were able to send drones down a 10-metre course to the finish line. “You start thinking and you hear that motor kick up and you know it kind of kicks you into a different mental state so you have to focus,” said contestant Daniel Royer, a mechanical engineering student at the university. The students used a technology called brain-computer interface, which allows a person to use brainwaves to control a computer. Story continues below advertisement Professor Juan Gilbert, chairman of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Department at the University of Florida said he hopes the competition will inspire others to continue to build upon brain-controlled technology. “The implications are far beyond the race. It’s fascinating. It’s the first of its kind. It’s the future.” Brain-computer interface could be used to assist paralysed patients and those using prosthetic limbs. © 2016 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
University of Florida students have participated in what is believed to be the world’s first mind-controlled drone race, involving headsets that measure the brain’s electrical activity to propel drones along a 10m course to the finish line. Professor Daniel Royer, Chairman of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Department, expressed hope that the competition may inspire others to continue experimenting and developing the new “brain-computer interface” technology. One of the many possibilities for using brain waves to control computers is its potential application for helping paralysed patients and wearers of prosthetic limbs to improve their mobility.