Researchers from Nankai University drive-test a car using brain signals channelled from a passenger to the car's processing system. (Photo : www.tech2.alltechbuzz.net)
Chinese scientists have developed a car that can be controlled with nothing more than brainpower and without the need for steering wheel or gas pedal, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The report said that the new car, which was presented to the public for the first time on July 15, Wednesday, was developed by a research team from Nankai University in Tianjin in collaboration with Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor.
According to the report, the car can be controlled by 16 sensors attached to a headset which send impulses from the user's brain and connected to the processing system of the car.
Spectators who came to the see the car watched as scientists demonstrated how the vehicle moved forward and backward and locked and unlocked the car, using the power of the mind.
The scientists explained that the sensors in the user's headset capture brain signals and analyze them through a recognition system and translates the signals into driving instruction to the car's processing system.
The research team who designed the vehicle claimed that it was the first time that Chinese researchers have controlled a car or any vehicle in this way.
Duan Feng, associate professor at the university's computing and control engineering department, said that the technology will have to go a long way before it can be put into production.
"The technology is quite mature, however, there is some room for improvement concerning the car's electronics, which will make the vehicle more secure, intelligent and user-friendly," Duan said.
The professor believes that the technology could transform driving in the future and help disabled people drive.
