A brain-controlled toy helicopter is no ordinary project up on Kickstarter for funding and it isn’t one bit surprising that it has achieved double the funding amount with almost two more weeks left. That means you will surely see this amazing helicopter called Puzzlebox Orbit flying around as will now head into the production stage. At first sight it reminded me of the RC Space Ball, but then I realized that it was much more than just a simple RC toy flying around actuated by the RC in one’s hand. Having an open source coding software and open hardware provides you the liberty to customize the toy the way you like, in a way like the ATOMS Express Toys project. Developed by Puzzlebox group who have been working on this brain-controlled helicopter for almost two years now; the ultimate goal of the project is to better understand and explore the possibilities of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology.
Having a spherical design which protects the helicopter from hard impact against the walls or on the tarmac, the product will come in two models, one that will be compatible with mobile devices like smartphones or tablets and the other having a dedicated Puzzlebox Pyramid that acts as the remote control unit. The main component of the Puzzlebox Orbit is going to be NeuroSky MindWave Mobile EEG headset which communicates the signals to the mobile devices or the Puzzlebox Pyramid.
# Puzzlebox Orbit in more detail
Twelve multi-colored LED lights are arranged according to clock positions on the face of the Pyramid and are used to indicate current levels of concentration, mental relaxation, and EEG signal quality. The lights can be customized to display different colors and patterns with distinct meanings according to preference. Lining the rim are several infrared LEDs that operate the helicopter and with software programming are capable of controlling additional IR toys and devices including televisions.
With either edition the user can select a “flight path” for the helicopter (such as “hover in place” or “fly across the room”) to be carried out whenever a targetted personal mental state is detected and maintained. Third-party developers are able and encouraged to contribute new features and modes of flight control.
Via: TechnologyReview
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