Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
The Thinking Man's Wheelchair
Audeo allows the control of a wheelchair by neurological signals. Put more simply, you can move the chair if you think you can.
The Audeo system uses a neckband with sensors to capture signals sent to the vocal chords by the brain to initiate speech. (Speech production is not necessary to move the wheelchair). These neurological signals are processed by a TI CompactRIO computer, which compares them to the signals associated with pre-recorded words determined during training exercises.
The computer then issues appropriate commands to the motorized wheelchair.
The following informative video demonstrates that the device works perfectly.
(Ambient Audeo Mind-Powered Wheelchair video)
This is a truly remarkable achievement. The first time I ever heard of this idea was in The Menagerie, first broadcast in November of 1966. Captain Christopher Pike is confined to a wheelchair that is operated by brainwaves alone.
Note that this is not a case of a superhuman character who uses telekinesis to move the chair. Pike is an ordinary man who uses an extraordinary technology.
Which now exists, thanks to a lot of hard work by engineers at Ambient Corporation and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
For additional amazement, take a look at these previous articles:
Via Thinking of words can guide your wheelchair. Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/7/2007) | Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy: 
(Christoper Pike's Star Trek thought-controlled wheelchair)
A tiny sensor array implanted in the brain has allowed a quadriplegic man to check e-mail and play computer games
Turnabout is fair play - machines can now control humans.
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Related News Stories - (" Engineering ")
3D-Printed Exoskeleton Learns From Your Hand
'...small electric motors at the principal joints worked the prosthetic framework by means of steel cables...' - Fritz Leiber, 1968
Smartwatch Powered By Slime Mold
'Living protoplasm incorporated into the Ampek F-a2 recording system...' - Philip K. Dick, 1966
Carpentopod Walking Table
'Twoflower's Luggage, which was currently ambling along on its little legs...'
Quaise Uses Beams Of Energy To Dig Geothermal Wells
'The peculiar quality of this light, which gave it its great preeminence over all other penetrating rays...' - Frank Stockton, 1897.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons
'The remotely-operated robot tank is an old idea...'
3D-Printed Exoskeleton Learns From Your Hand
'...small electric motors at the principal joints worked the prosthetic framework by means of steel cables...'
Smartwatch Powered By Slime Mold
'Living protoplasm incorporated into the Ampek F-a2 recording system...'
Unmanned Boats Attack At Sea
'The autofreighter smashed into the boat...'
Carpentopod Walking Table
'Twoflower's Luggage, which was currently ambling along on its little legs...'
Iron Drone Raider Counter-UAV Operations
'You've got an aggressive machine up in the air now.'
SpaceX Rocket Shuttle Point-To-Point On Earth
'He came to as the ship went into free flight, arching in a high parabola over the plains...'
Quaise Uses Beams Of Energy To Dig Geothermal Wells
'The peculiar quality of this light, which gave it its great preeminence over all other penetrating rays...'
Robots Repair And Modify Themselves
'The overworked leg motor would have to cool down before he could work on it...'
Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers
‘Where to, sport?’ the starter at cab relay asked.
Robot Janitors Get To Work
'A few mechanical cleaning devices crept here and there...'
Robots Learn To Install Charged Batteries Into Themselves
This is nothing new for science fiction fans!
Robot Rabbits Entice Pythons
'That little robot rabbit knew what it was talking about...'
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
