Four eighth-semester mechanical engineering students of Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, have developed a brainwave-controlled device, which, they claim, can be used by people with any form of limb paralysis to control their arms.
Rahul Thomas, Vijay Madhav, Anjith J. Nair and Naveen P.J. say the device uses energy from brainwaves rather than using muscular power.
It consists of a piston cylinder arrangement that mimics the motion of a human arm. If a person wants to lift a glass, she or he has to simply strap the cylindrical arrangement and think hard, they say.
The device converts the brain thought into mechanical activity not through neural networks but through an artificial mechatronic path designed for it, says Anjith.
“The only way to combat paralysis is through rehabilitation. The advancements are not made the way they should be. That is the main reason we spent time in developing this,” says Rahul.
Signals
The idea behind the brainwave control is simple. The brain constantly sends messages in the form of electric signals. These signals can be measured and mapped in the form of waves. “By varying our thought patterns and level of concentration, we can change the frequency of these waves and use this change to control devices,” they claim.
The device can be used for repetitive tasks which require a bit of power to accomplish. The students have decided to launch the device through their start-up ‘Mear’.
