Researchers from Nankai University in Tianjin, China, have developed a mind-controlled car, which they say uses nothing but brain power to drive. Two years went into the project and it's finally been brought into reality.
Zhang Zhao, a researcher, tells Reuters that the equipment is made up of 16 different sensors that pick up EEG (electroencephalogram) signals from the driver's brain. The researchers created a computer program that chooses the appropriate signals and translates them in a way that can be recognized by the car.
The tester's EEG signals are picked up by this (brain signal-reading) equipment and transmitted wirelessly to the computer. The computer processes the signals to categorize and recognize people's intention, then translates them into control command to the car. The core of the whole flow is to process the EEG signals, which is done on the computer.
Ideally, this technology would be used to better human road safety. It could possibly be used in conjunction with autonomous cars, with the logic being that both driverless cars and brain-controlled cars both serve human intentions. Like autonomous cars, brain-controlled cars can also allow people, who are currently unable to drive due to physical disabilities, gain more autonomous freedom.
The researchers teamed up with Great Wall Motor, a Chinese car manufacturer, and their car currently only drives straight, and there are no plans to put it into production. However, if this technology advances (or if it gets picked up by an industry giant like Apple or Google), it could add a greater degree of user input on self-driving car technology.