Discovering how Humans interact with Machines
We are set for unprecedented change not just in technology, but in the way we interact and interface with technology. In the Biomedical Engineering Research Group in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, we are leading innovation and conversation around how our changing world will influence us, and how we will influence our changing world. Some of our projects which are influencing the 4th industrial revolution include:
- Our world first social impact project, Brainternet, in which we livestreamed electrical brain signals onto the internet, sparked very necessary conversations about how we progress in terms of data sharing and connecting ourselves into networks. This simple brain computer interface allowed a human being to directly participate as an active Internet of Things node.
- By using flashing light to transfer information, we were able to incorporate the human brain into a computer network and transfer information between two distinct computers.
- We have built a variety of technologies around interfacing with devices for disabled people and for our general interactions with computers. These include:
- An eye movement controlled wheelchair;
- A computer that performed visual sign language interpretation
- An AI based feedback system for CPR quality improvement
- An eye-controlled mouse cursor which allows the user to track the mouse in a natural way; and
- A robotic arm controlled entirely by the brain, including activating it using light as a switch.