Page 14 - trends in automation

Foto: Daimler AG
The heart of the new operational
concepts: Software as a channel for
human-machine communication.
As a force feedback system, the
ExoHand also extends the freedom of
action of workers in production. It can
be fitted not only over the human hand,
but also over an artificial hand made of
silicone and functions simultaneously
both as the operator interface and a
robotic hand. Information flows from
the person to the machine and from the
machine to the person. The operator
need no longer rely merely on his or her
visual and acoustic perception, but can
actually feel forms and resistances or the
effects of applied forces.
Strength in everyday use
In the area of rehabilitation, the ExoHand
will in the future be suitable for use as
an active manual orthosis – a medical
device that stabilises, relieves or
controls limbs. The active manual
orthosis can help stroke patients who
are showing the first signs of paralysis
to restore the missing connection
between brain and hand. A brain
computer interface recognises the
electroencephalography signals (EEG)
from the brain and thus the patient’s
desire to open or close the hand. The
movements are carried out by the
ExoHand with the brain computer
interface. This creates a training
effect, which over time helps patients
to move their hand again without
any technical assistance.
The power of thought
The brain computer interface
represents the next generation of
human machine interfaces. CogniGame
from Festo shows how a thought
controlled operational concept can
work in practice. It is a reinterpretation
of a well known video game from the
1970s. Based on the game of table
tennis, players used a joystick to move
a paddle up and down on the screen
to return the ball to their opponent.
For CogniGame, the developers at
Festo transferred the virtual game
to a real playing field built using Festo
components. What makes CogniGame
unique is the fact that one player
controls his bat by thought alone via a
brain computer interface (BCI). The brain
computer interface measures voltage
fluctuations on the player’s head by
means of fixed electrodes.
Using your head to move
For this game, Festo developed
CogniWare, a proprietary software
solution that allows control of the bat
by means of thoughts and biological
signals. CogniWare establishes
communication between the brain and
hardware without the user having to
interact by means of voice commands
or input devices. The brain computer
interface and the CogniWare software
register the thought patterns in the
player’s brain, process them and convey
them to the hardware.
For CogniGame, the developers from
Festo made use of a commercially
available brain computer interface
that is fitted out with a total of 14
signal electrodes and two reference
electrodes. This interface samples
the brain signals at a rate of 128 times
per second. These signals are then
filtered and conveyed to the software.
Operation of the brain computer
interface is linked with measurement
of the “mu rhythm” that is generated
by the motor sensory cortex of the