Rock, Paper, Scissors, Robot

Posted 21 Aug 2006 at 18:04 UTC by steve

Forget about playing checkers or chess with a robot. Yukiyasu Kamitani and other Researchers at ATR Computational Neuroscience Labs have developed a system that does rock paper scissors by reading your mind. How does it work? You'll need to be inside an MRI scanner. A computer decodes the MRI output to identify the "perceptual and subjective contents" of your brain. As you make rock, paper or scissors hand gestures, your brain configuration is used to control a robot hand that duplicates your movements. Obviously, the real goal here is to develop non-invasive methods of controlling prosthetic devices. So far the researchers have achieved 85% accuracy with a 7 second lag time on the current setup. The good part is that it works on anyone without surgery or special training. The bad part is that you need a massive MRI machine.

Mind R/W+ DL , posted 22 Aug 2006 at 14:40 UTC by The Swirling Brain » (Master)

So to be able to read someone else's mind, you'll need a big MRI machine on your head and very strong neck muscles? Hey Bob! Nice Hat! Yeah, it's a little hard to get through doorways ya know! Even with, all you'll be able to read is "rock", "paper", or "scissors" with a 7 sec delay! To be practical, a brain scanning device for prosthetics will need to be a lot smaller, but this is a really cool proof of concept that such a thing could work! I could see wearing a cap or hat and an exoskeleton and seeing people once paralyzed walking about! That would be awesome!

Now, what if they could turn this device around and inject thoughts into someone's mind! (Tinfoil hats anyone?) You could then read or write thoughts! What if you could transfer your thoughts to someone else and speed up debreifing! Hey, wait, are you thinking what I'm thinking? :-) Total Recall!

Broadcast Signals to the MRI unit,Medical Wonder., posted 22 Aug 2006 at 18:02 UTC by marev » (Observer)

Hey People,i only was this story here an hour ago,have since given it just a bit of thought and i really do beleive this has the potential of being one of the greatest medical/robotic discoveries ever.Okay others here have said its a bit difficult everyone wearing an MRI scanner on there heads at the moment but i reckon the answer to this is an even bigger/more powerful broadband based mri scanner that gives out/receives readings miles away through the people that are using it wearing an internal/external brain signal transmiter,constantly sending a map of detailed information to the mri base unit and instantly receiving the info back to their robotic/prosthetic body parts therefore eliminating the direct contact with the mri unit and possibly enabling 100s of people to live their lives connected to one expensive base unit.I know it sounds a way off but if you think aboout it could virtually mean the end to paralysis/physical disablement and if the discoveries of artifical internal organs continues like it is at the moment then overall maybe a cure to every medical illness or disease apart from the brains itself through the ease of using the artificial parts.Thanks,this story really is fascinating and important for humans future.

Brainstorm, posted 23 Aug 2006 at 09:11 UTC by JamesBruton » (Master)

Did anyone ever see the 1983 film 'Brainstorm'?

Matrix information downloads., posted 23 Aug 2006 at 13:05 UTC by marev » (Observer)

Or the Matrix.

Brains, posted 23 Aug 2006 at 13:20 UTC by JamesBruton » (Master)

Ah yes, but in Brainstorm they just wore a hat / lightweight headset, and in the Matrix they had to stick a spike in their brain through a special socket...

I suppose the technical concept of the films is similar though.

The New Era of Robot is Here!!!,just Fix the Hat., posted 23 Aug 2006 at 17:42 UTC by marev » (Observer)

To be failsafe the hat would have to implanted into the mri controlled people,whats the point of having all that technology and movement capability when the second you forget and take your hat off you collapse and cannot move p.s. i have not seen "Brainstorm",just considering the rest of the person being a robot and give him a Robocop helmet.

So expensive for the prothesis to work..., posted 26 Aug 2006 at 10:40 UTC by kittipat_0541 » (Master)

... in addition to the size and the weight of the MRI scanner, it costs like 2.5 million USD!!!! Isn't it a little too costly for the prothesis to work? From my experience, having the electrode implant into your brain only cost 1/100 of the MRI scanner, and it only takes 3 hours. And guess what, you can be awake throughtout the time of the operation!!!!

Smaller,Wireless and Cheaper., posted 27 Aug 2006 at 12:36 UTC by marev » (Observer)

Yes got the make the MRI scanner a lot smaller or with no actual contact to it but with the possible future useage and amounts of scanners produced as a result i am sure the prices could come right down.

No way, posted 5 Sep 2006 at 15:59 UTC by raullapeira » (Journeyer)

You dont need an RMI machine to obtain enough information, with a really small sensor you could do, as long as your algorithm allows you to discriminate information appropriately.

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