Now that’s autopilot! Aviators use nothing but their BRAINS to fly a plane
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Mind control has reached new heights after a group of pilots were successfully able to fly a plane using nothing but their thoughts.
German scientists showed how seven pilots – some with no previous experience of flying – used mind control to fly with ‘astonishing accuracy.’
In a simulation, several of the pilots managed the landing approach under poor visibility, while one was able to land a few metres from the runway’s central line.
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Technical University of Berlin then sat them down in a flight simulator and told them to steer the plane using just their thoughts .
The cap was able to read the electrical signals from their brains and a specially-formulated algorithm then converted those signals into computer commands.
Seven people underwent the experiment and all were able to use mind control to control the plane well enough to meet some of the criteria for getting a pilot’s license.
‘A long-term vision of the project is to make flying accessible to more people,’ said aerospace engineer Tim Fricke, who heads the project at the Technical University of Munich.
‘With brain control, flying, in itself, could become easier. This would reduce the work load of pilots and thereby increase safety.
‘In addition, pilots would have more freedom of movement to manage other manual tasks in the cockpit.’
Our brain is made up of billions of active neurons, around 105,600 miles (170,000 km) of combined axon length.
When these neurons interact, the chemical reaction emits an electrical impulse, which can be measured using EEG.
One of the problems with the system is lack of feedback. Normally, pilots feel resistance in steering and have to exert significant force when the loads on the aircraft become too large.
This feedback is missing when using brain control. The researchers are now hoping to find alternative methods to simulate the process.
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