Swiss robot moves via mind control from 100 km away

Research using brain waves to direct machine could help people with paralysis

The Associated Press

Posted: Apr 24, 2012 8:41 AM ET

Last Updated: Apr 24, 2012 8:39 AM ET

A spectator steps out of the way of a robot being controlled from 100 km away by Mark-Andre Duc, seen on the computer screen. Duc, who has partial paralysis, directed the robot using only his brain waves. (Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press)

Swiss scientists have demonstrated how a partially paralyzed person can control a robot using brain signals alone.

The team at Switzerland's Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne says the experiment takes them a step closer to enabling immobile patients to easily interact with their surroundings through a robot "avatar."

Tuesday's demonstration involved a partially tetraplegic patient at a hospital in the southern Swiss town of Sion who imagined lifting his fingers to direct a robot at the university 100 kilometres away.

Similar experiments have taken place in the United States and Germany but they either involved able-bodied patients or invasive brain implants, while the Swiss team used only a simple head cap to record the brain signals.

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