Sixteen students at the University of Florida made history as they became the first competitors in the world’s first mind-controlled drone race.
Special electroencephalogram headsets were worn which measure the electrical activity in their brain when in deep concentration. Using a brain-computer interface (BCI) technology the drones were sent down a 10 yard straight-line course to the finish.
Competitors stared at a computer screen displaying digital cubes which served as the “controller” for the drone. Thoughts of pushing an object forward were needed to propel the aerial vehicle in the desired direction.
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BCI has been around for a while now and is being used in other forms of technology. Researchers at a university in China have recently developed and tested mind-controlled cars. BCI has also given amputees and trauma victims the ability to move again through ultramodern artificial limbs.
“BCI was a technology that was geared specifically for medical purposes, and in order to expand this to the general public, we actually have to embrace these consumer brand devices and push them to the limit,” Chris Crawford, a doctoral student in computer science, told the Associated Press.
Mind-controlled drone racing has potential to be the next big sport. A multi-year agreement has already been made between ESPN and the International Drone Racing Association, or IDRA, according to Newsweek. They report the National Drone Racing Championships will be broadcasted from New York this August to an international audience.