Survivors of a severe brain or spinal cord injury are often left with a lifelong disability that impacts their lives negatively. A common problem faced by them is permanent paralysis due to the damage caused to their nervous system. The most severe form of paralysis is tetraplegia, as people suffering from it have lost control of both their arms and legs. Researchers have been working for years to build devices that tetraplegic patients can control using their thoughts and perform certain activities independently. Different institutions and organizations have been working on building seamless mind-controlled robots to perform various tasks.

What if your friend the robot could tell what you're thinking, without you saying a word? Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and Boston University have created a system where humans can guide robots with their brainwaves. This may sound like a theory out of a sci-fi novel, but the goal of seamless human-robot interaction is the next major frontier for robotic research. For now, the MIT system can only handle simple binary activities such as correcting a robot as it sorts objects into two boxes, but CSAIL Director Daniela Rus sees a future where one day we could control robots in more natural ways, rather than having to program them for specific tasks -- like allowing a supervisor on a factory floor to control a robot without ever pushing a button. "Imagine you look at the robots, and at some point one robot is not doing the job correctly," Rus explained.