'Mind pilots' steer plane flight simulation with thoughts alone
'Mind pilots' steer plane sim with thoughts alone
Seven test pilots demonstrate an X-Men-like ability to
steer an airplane through a flight simulation with surprising accuracy.
by Michael Franco @writermfranco May 27, 2014 12:47 PM PDT
Electrodes attached to a cap convert brain waves into
signals that can be processed by the flight simulator for hands-free flying.
Thanks to her kick-butt skill of telekinesis (my secret
superhero power wish), longtime X-Men alum Jean Grey can move things with her
mind. And she's not the only one.
New research out of the Technische Universität München
(TUM) in Germany is hinting that mind control might soon reach entirely new
heights -- even by us non-mutants. They've demonstrated that pilots might be
able to fly planes through the sky using their thoughts alone.
The researchers hooked study participants to a cap
containing dozens of electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes, sat them down in
a flight simulator, and told them to steer the plane through the sim using
their thoughts alone. The cap read the electrical signals from their brains and
an algorithm then translated those signals into computer commands.
Seven people underwent the experiment and, according to
the researchers, all were able to pilot the plane using their thoughts to such
a degree that their performance could have satisfied some of the criteria for
getting a pilot's license.
What's more, the study participants weren't all pilots
and had varying levels of flight experience. One had no cockpit experience at
all.
We have, of course, seen similar thought-control
experiments before -- an artist who can paint with her thoughts and another who
causes water to vibrate, for example, as well as a quadcopter controlled by
brainwaves and a thought-powered typing solution. But there's something
particularly remarkable about the idea of someone actually flying an airplane
with just the mind.
The research was part of an EU-funded program called
" Brainflight." "A long-term vision of the project is to make
flying accessible to more people," aerospace engineer Tim Fricke, who
heads the project at TUM, explained in a statement. "With brain control,
flying, in itself, could become easier. This would reduce the workload of
pilots and thereby increase safety. In addition, pilots would have more freedom
of movement to manage other manual tasks in the cockpit."
One of the outstanding challenges of the research is to
provide feedback from the plane to the "mind pilots." This is
something normal pilots rely upon to gauge the state of their flight. For
example, they would feel resistance from the controls if they begin to push the
plane to its limits. TUM says the researchers are currently looking for ways to
deliver such feedback to the pilots.
My advice? Hire Jean Grey as a consultant.
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