Russian scientists have discovered a way to operate machines by thought
This has significant military and non-military implications
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
Nowadays, multitasking capabilities are a fundamental part of modern warfare.
Among the many innovations introduced in Russia this year, kinetic control of drones certainly does represent a major breakthrough.
The project is mainly financed by the Foundation for Advanced Research, (Wikipedia) an organization that works on programs related to Russia’s national defense.
It is the brainchild of deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, and was conceived as Russia's answer to the US's DARPA, with a starting annual budget of $100 million, dwarfed by DARPA's $2.3 billion annual budget. See here for a Moscow Times article about it.
A multitasker, is able to keep up with challenges do things more effectively. For a soldier, being able to command a drone using brain-power alone, provides a major tactical advantage having substantially expanded deployment scenario possibilities.
It’s not just bringing great innovation in military applications, confirmed Vladimir Konyshev, Neurobotics director to Izvestiya.
“The FSF wanted that the person operating the quadcopter is able to do something else simultaneously, to make sure that this technology can be used on the battlefield… That’s why our operator kept moving around... while the quadcopter responded to his flight commands and signals to move to a designated target. This interface could also have great benefits for handicapped people living in a ‘smart house’, enabling hands-free typing and other physical operations. And, of course, this neuro-interface will be of great help to the designers of new weapons systems”
A video report demonstrating the effectiveness of the mind-controlled-drone.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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