April 26, 2010 -By Robert Oschler
Programming Your Own Thought-Controlled Robot
A couple of months ago I examined the Emotiv EPOC 14-electrode EEG headset, which lets you control computers and video games with your thoughts rather than your hands. But in the process of writing that article I learned that there wasn't a strong application that took advantage of its capabilities. So I decided to write one myself.
I decided to see if I could use the headset to control a WowWee Rovio robot using just my mind and facial gestures. If the EPOC headset couldn't substitute for traditional input devices, this demonstration would prove it. But if it worked, it would show off the device's potential both as a toy and as a tool for the physically challenged, and maybe even as a stepping stone on the path of creating entirely new input technologies.
I started with a program I wrote called Robodance, which already worked as a control program for the Rovio. This provided a baseline for comparing the efficacy of the mouse-driven button interface to the headset's more exotic control. I was determined to see if I could really use the Emotiv Software Developer's Kit (SDK) to build a bridge between the EPOC EEG headset and Robodance, and control the Rovio robot at least as well as I could with the mouse-driven button interface.
Being a programmer, I had the skills necessary to accomplish many of these tasks, but even if you're not a guru chances are you'll be able to do something using publicly available code. If you're more interested in the theory and the results than the actual mechanics, skip to the "Laying the Foundation" section, and "Cognitiv vs. Expressiv Control." Also see our video of the programmed robot in action, and get a glimpse at just a sample of what this technology makes possible.
