Mind-Controlled Robot ‘Teleport Helps The Disabled Move Around

It would seem that the world of robotics is progressing at an exponential rate, with advances in artificial intelligence and cybernetic mimicry leading the charge. Now, machines that can be controlled via neural interface are also entering the scene, with one particular example helping disabled people experience the world.

Seeing the world through a computer screen and actually visiting those places is not the same thing, but it’s the best that some disabled people can hope for, Futurism reports. Thanks to a new machine called “Teleport,” this is exactly what they are going to get.

“Teleport” was created by a company in Australia named Aubot, which was started by robotics superstar Marita Cheng. It features a touchscreen tablet with a wide angle video camera to stream images to users. Best of all, regardless of their physical impairment, patients can still control the robots because it’s hooked up to their brains.

Well, “hooked up” might be putting it a tad too strong since it’s actually using the brain control technology called MindWave to interface with the machine. It’s almost like a more cumbersome modern computer headphone. All the user has to do is concentrate hard enough to make their instructions known to the machine.

In terms of what it can actually do, it’s basically a robot that acts as the eyes and legs of the disabled person in order to be in a place that they want to go without needing to be physically present. Some of the uses for the technology include allowing hospitalized children to attend field trips and enabling a 36-year-old man with a severe spinal injury to travel without needing to get out of the house.

The movements of “Teleport” are quite basic, in that it can move backward and forward, and turn every which way, Tech Digest reports. It’s also equipped with sensors that allow it to detect and prevent collisions.