How to Control a Robotic Arm with Your Mind, by Using Machine Learning - The New Stack

If you've lost the use of your arms, the idea of being able to control a robotic replacement arm with your mind might seem like an awesome idea at first. That is, until you're told that you would probably need to have some serious surgery to crack open your skull and insert an implant into your brain to actually let you do that. Fortunately, scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed an alternative: a technique that would allow people to move a robotic appendage around with only their thoughts, without the need for surgery or brain implants. It's a major step in the development of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which build a direct communication link between the brain and an external device. Though previous experiments showed that brain-computer interfaces could allow people to control virtual objects like moving a cursor on a screen or a helicopter in a flight simulator, and even real objects like small quadcopters, this study takes it to the next level with real-world implications.