Florida Students Use Medical Technology to Create New Sport

Ever heard of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology?

Essentially, this advancement allows direct communication between the brain and an external device. It’s a medical breakthrough, even helping some paralyzed patients control their prosthetic limbs.

So what does this have to do with the University of Florida? Well, this is where we like to say “It Just Means More” in the SEC. A couple years ago, 16 Gators used their brains, quite literally, to get more out of this technology.

These industrious students created a new sport using BCI software and a group of DJI Phantom drones. With their brainwaves, the 16 students flew the drones down a 10-yard indoor course.

You may be wondering if this new technology makes college students mind readers — and the answer is no. With BCI technology, the pilots calibrate electroencephalogram headsets to their own individual brains. To customize each set, the wearer’s neuron activity is recorded while he or she is told to think about pushing something backward, forward, etc. These particular movements are linked to the drone’s controller, so any similar neuron activity will mimic that command.

Juan Gilbert, Chairman of the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering at the University of Florida, breaks it down for us. “We have a computer program that you look at, and we tell you: ‘Think forward. Think about pushing a chair forward.’” And just like that, you’ve taught the drone to do its thing.

Chris Crawford, a doctoral student in human-centered computing, is excited about the future of BCI technology. “With events like this, we’re popularizing the use of BCI instead of it being stuck in the research lab,” he says. “BCI is a technology that was geared specifically for medical purposes, and in order to expand this to the general public, we actually have to embrace these consumer brand devices and push them to the limit.”

If you think about it, drones are really just the beginning. Perhaps one day we’ll use our minds to unlock our cars or type on our computers. Gilbert and his team believe mind-controlled devices will expand and change the way we play, work and live.

This technology could even expand beyond personal use. The U.S. Department of Defense, which uses drones to fight suspected terrorists overseas, is looking for technology just like BCI. And researchers in Texas are currently working on a system that would allow a single person with no flying experience to operate multiple drones simultaneously through mind control.

There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of potential for BCI technology, and no one should be taking these college students and their project lightly. In fact, drone racing was recently coined as “the next NASCAR” after its advocates locked down a TV deal with ESPN. A contract with the world’s largest sports broadcaster? We’re buying our tickets now.

While we wait for the games to begin, we’ll keep an eye out for the Gator alums as they continue to help the BCI industry flourish. For us, “It Just Means More” that these University of Florida students are pioneers in the industry.