Single unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs) directed by joysticks, radio controllers, and mobile phones are already accomplishing a variety of useful tasks, such as aerial photography and security patrols. But using multiple drones requires multiple human operators, and this presents a coordination problem.
Now a single operator using emerging human-brain interfaces can control a swarm of drones, making possible new classes of applications, according to Panos Artemiadis, director of the Human-Oriented Robotics and Control (HORC) Lab at Arizona State University.
Artemiadis is available to discuss how drone swarms using human-brain interface mechanisms will, in the next three to five years, make inroads where individually controlled UAVs cannot. Here are a few of the drone applications that are now within reach:
Search and Rescue Missions
Humans will collaborate with swarms of robots in search and rescue scenarios. The brain-robot interface enables control of many robots at the same time, and it scales the ability of a robotic team to cover larger areas in less time. If the controller detects something in the video stream that warrants closer surveillance, the swarm can be directed to close in on that area.
Fire Fighting
Armed with infrared imaging equipment, a drone swarm can be used to track the spread of a forest fire over large areas in real time, allowing firefighters to adjust their plans accordingly. The human controller can follow a reported change in weather conditions, such as a shift in wind direction, with a swarm of drones to determine if the fire has jumped to a new area.
Agriculture Analysis
Teams of drones will oversee and analyze large agricultural fields – creating topographic maps for soil analysis and irrigation planning. In addition to being outfitted with cameras, aerial drones will use sensors to identify necessary irrigation adjustments and scanners that can identify crop infections or infestations. Some drone systems are already being used for crop spraying – swarms will be able to accomplish the task more quickly and efficiently.
Entertainment
As drones enter the entertainment arena, we will begin to see mind-controlled drone swarms for events. For example, a single person could operate a fleet of drones shooting photos and videos at an outdoor concert or sports venue, narrowing in on spectator activities for display on the Jumbotron. And while Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl drones were controlled by a central computer (and filmed in advance of the show), smaller swarms can be managed by a single human for smaller light displays or to drop gifts (t-shirts or CDs, for example) into a crowd.
Cyber-physical surveillance systems
Understanding brain-drone interfaces allows building cyber-physical surveillance systems that combine human intuition and experience with the sensing capabilities of multiple drones. This would allow more efficient and accurate surveillance systems than what is now available – especially for large, security sensitive events like bowl games, marathons and political rallies.
Learn more: Brain-Controlled Drones Are Here. What’s Coming in the Next Five Years?
The Latest on: Human-brain interfaces
[google_news title=”” keyword=”human-brain interfaces” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- China Shows Off Monkey With Brain Chip Allowing It to Control Robotic Armon April 27, 2024 at 5:00 am
A Chinese company has announced that they have successfully developed a brain chip and implanted it into a monkey who can now remotely control a robot arm with the device, state-run news media outfit ...
- China's homegrown brain-machine interface system unveiled at Zhongguancun Forumon April 25, 2024 at 11:45 pm
This photo shows the NeuCyber Array BMI System, a self-developed brain-machine interface (BMI) system from China, unveiled at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, capital of ...
- Hybrid brain lets one species' neurons help out another'son April 25, 2024 at 9:53 pm
Adding rat stem cells to a mouse embryo resulted in a ‘hybrid brain’ in which the rat cells stepped in to restore function when the mouse’s sense of smell was removed, new research has shown. It’s the ...
- Brain Computer Interface Market Deciphering Consumer Decision-Making the Role of Ethnography Techniqueson April 25, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Request To Download Free Sample of This Strategic Report @- Brain Computer Interface Market is valued approximately at USD $ billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of ...
- Higher resolution brain mapping tech wins big at Research Expoon April 25, 2024 at 11:21 am
Research Expo is unique in that graduate students are judged not just on the technical merits of their research, but also on their ability to effectively communicate its impact to a non-technical ...
- China develops Neuralink rival for brain computer interface techon April 25, 2024 at 8:14 am
C hinese company Beijing Xinzhida Neurotechnology unveiled a brain computer interface (BCI) implant to rival Elon Musk's Neuralink at the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum).
- Colorado enacts groundbreaking brain data privacy lawon April 24, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Colorado became the first state in the nation to enact a law protecting neural data, emphasizing the growing intersection of technology and human biology while ensuring privacy in the expanding field ...
- WVU RNI takes part in groundbreaking research on brain-computer interface device for people with neurological disabilitieson April 20, 2024 at 4:20 pm
Researchers at WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute are part of a team exploring cutting-edge technology to help people with neurological injuries and disabilities function and communicate. ...
- Brain-computer interface research reaches new frontierson April 19, 2024 at 7:02 am
Brain-computer interfaces may seem like a science fiction concept, but multiple studies are working to make this technology a reality.
- MIT Technology Reviewon April 19, 2024 at 3:00 am
In the world of brain-computer interfaces, it can seem as if one company sucks up all the oxygen in the room. Last month, Neuralink posted a video to X showing the first human subject to receive its ...
via Google News and Bing News