Mind-Controlled Wheelchair: Magic or Science?

Being confined in a limited area is one of our most significant concerns. Imagine being confined to your own body right now. You are fully alert, hearing everything that is said around you, and your vision is excellent. You have fully functional cognitive abilities; your inability to move or speak is the only drawback. To find someone, you struggle to lift your legs, but they won’t budge. Your facial muscles are weak, so even though you want to scream for aid, your mouth won’t open. There is no means to communicate with anyone outside your own body, which makes you a prisoner of your own body. Is there a way out of this?

Such a condition is a locked-in syndrome. This is where an individual has full awareness of their surroundings but cannot move. But now, not to worry anymore! Scientists have invented a new and high-tech mind-controlled wheelchair. Sound like magic, does it not? This will enable fully disabled people to make movements with the help of their brain signals. The following research of prototypes can be broken down into different segments. These include the Brain-Computer Interface and the EEG works!

The Brain-computer Interface

The following steps can be used to break down the BCI’s mechanism. The user starts by picturing herself completing a certain easy job, like moving their right hand. In this instance, the brain’s unique impulses connected with desire moved the right hand.

An electroencephalogram, or EEG, monitors these electrical activity voltage differences, which are then filtered and amplified. After then, a computer decodes the signal and studies the brainwave patterns connected to moving the right hand. The computer program is also configured to recognize this particular pattern, causing a particular action to be performed each time the user imagines moving their right hand.

The next one on to list is the EEG working device. This one is specifically designed for those who have entirely lost control of their body.

The EEG Works

The electrical activity of the brain can be detected using EEG equipment. Multiple electrodes are positioned either on the skull’s surface or below the skull in this method. Every one of the electrode sites has benefits and drawbacks. The brain’s electrical signals are obstructed and deformed by the skull. Since the signals may be detected directly, placing electrodes on the skull’s interior, right on the exposed surface, is more efficient.

Specifically, this procedure is known as electrocorticography (ECoG). This method’s drawback is that it requires an intrusive operation to place the electrodes on the patient’s brain. Any intrusive technique has potential risks. In this instance, the patient runs the danger of scarring brain tissue, which might prevent the electrical activity assessment. This would negate the entire aim of implanting the electrodes on their brain’s surface. The preferred non-invasive method involves placing the electrodes on the patient’s scalp. Usually, the patient is covered in an electrode-encrusted cap secured to the head with conductive gel.

Wheelchairs that respond to thought commands are yet in the research and development stages. These wheelchairs outperform voice-controlled wheelchairs in every way. Patients who have lost their capacity to talk can use thought-controlled wheelchairs, and they respond to commands far more quickly. Users wear an EEG hat to track their brain activity.

When someone imagines moving their hand in a particular direction, the brain sends out specific signals. The wheelchair’s sensor picks up the signal and transforms it into a command that causes the wheelchair to react. The wheelchair device will require users to go through training so that it can be adapted to their behaviors.

Failure of These Mind-Controlling Wheelchairs

Since BCI technology is still very new and mainly in the research stage, there are significant limitations. The major obstacle is signal reading precision. The human body has billions of neurons, each of which is constantly firing a different signal. Additionally, because our brains’ electrical signals have a relatively low voltage, it is typically difficult to read them.

Detecting the precise signals from our brain may also be hampered by the abundance of noisy signals produced in our surroundings, which have a higher voltage. The specific brain signal must then be separated from background noise and other signals produced by the body’s neurons using precise filtration. Maintaining mental activity while concentrating on a certain action is another restriction.

Distractions can make it challenging to focus on carrying out even straightforward tasks. It might be easy to use a wheelchair in a deserted test room, but what about on a busy street? The possibility of unexpected random movement must be considered. The user may become preoccupied with these outside factors and lose concentration while trying to manage the wheelchair’s motions. This might be harmful, particularly if the user is crossing the street.

What Now

It is right to say that we are living in the future already. Such innovations and new medical aids play a significant and vital role in humankind. With still being in the developing phase, mind-controlled wheelchairs still have a lot to prove and still need to overcome its flaw. With the passage of time, there is still yet more to come.