The University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia is developing a wheelchair that can be controlled using brain activity scanners. The technology, smaller than a matchbox, identifies and classifies the user's brain signals which are translated into commands to control the wheelchair, which is assisted by robotics and computers.
Currently, the team is working with Australian company UniQuest to find a way to bring the technology to the market. According to UTS, this may be reality in three years.
"Control of the wheelchair is based on a set of metaphors — something to associate with an action. For example, if a user wants to move left, they could think about composing a letter and writing 'Dear John'. The chair responds with its associated action and turns left. To go right, you could answer an arithmetic equation in your head. To stop, the user can simply close their eyes," wrote UTS in a report.
For more on this sotry, read UTS creates mind-controlled wheelchair on ZDNet Australia.