Ever thought about becoming an artist? That might be a question which some of us out there would definitely answer in the affirmative, but here is an interesting way of looking at things – scientists over from Imperial College London have managed to work on computer software which will allow a person to gain control of a robotic arm in order to paint a picture, and this can be achieved not using one’s hands or feet or even mouth, but rather, the movement of their eyes.
Such technology does showcase the potential use for robots in order to assist humans when it comes to extending their abilities, and more importantly, to multi-task. The engineers involved at the college’s Brain and Behavior Lab made use of a robotic arm and came up with a system for it, where it can then see action as an extension of the human body.
Rather than simply going through the motions by following a set of computer commands, the robot arm itself will be guided using a tracker which follows the direction of the human eyes. There will be an algorithm that helps to translate the path of the user’s gaze into commands, so that the robotic arm can react accordingly. This could very well be the first of its kind in the world, and it has been said to be rather intuitive. Definitely being a positive spin to the lives of disabled people is another plus point in such a development.