Chinese researchers unveil brain powered car

China's first mind-controlled car has been developed by
researchers in the north-east port city of Tianjin.
Chinese researchers have developed what they say is the
country's first car that uses nothing but brain power to
drive.
The research team from Nankai University, in the north-
eastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, has spent two years
bringing the mind-controlled vehicle to reality.
By wearing brain signal-reading equipment a driver can
control the car to go forward, backwards, come to a stop,
and both lock and unlock the vehicle, all without moving
their hands or feet.
Researcher Zhang Zhao told Reuters the equipment
comprises 16 sensors that capture EEG
(electroencephalogram) signals from the driver's brain.
They developed a computer program that selects the
relevant signals and translates them, enabling control of
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," said Zhang.
Associate Professor Duan Feng, from the university's
College of Computer and Control Engineering, led the
project. He emphasized that the technology is aimed at
better serving human beings, and that it might soon be
possible to combine brain controlled technology and
driverless cars, such as the Google Self Driving Car (SDC).
"Driverless cars' further development can bring more
benefits to us, since we can better realize functions
relating to brain controlling with the help of the driverless
cars' platform," said Duan. "In the end, cars, whether
driverless or not, and machines are serving for people.
Under such circumstances, people's intentions must be
recognized. In our project, it makes the cars better serve
human beings."
Duan said worries about potential road accidents caused
by the driver being distracted while their brain was in
control of his team's car were unfounded, because
concentration was needed only when changing the
vehicle's moving status, i.e. changing lanes or turning.
Whether such an application would be enough to persuade
drivers to get behind the wheel and control a car with their
mind is far from certain, though.
The researchers say their initial idea was inspired by
helping disabled people who are physically unable to steer
cars.
"There are two starting points of this project. The first
one is to provide a driving method without using hands or
feet for the disabled who are unable to move freely; and
secondly, to provide healthy people with a new and more
intellectualized driving mode," Zhang said.
At present the vehicle, in collaboration with Chinese car
manufacturer Great Wall Motor, can only drive in a straight
direction, and there are no plans to put it into production.