Robot arm can be controlled with thoughts, no brain implant needed

By Luke Dormehl Published December 15, 2016

Researchers at the University of Minnesota claim to have made a significant breakthrough in the field of neural interfaces by creating a system which allows people to control a robotic arm using just their thoughts.

Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research is particularly impressive because it allows a robot arm to be made to manipulate objects in a complex 3D environment without the use of a brain implant.

Recommended Videos

“We demonstrated that a group of 8 human subjects can control a robotic arm for 3D reach and grasp tasks using a noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI),” Bin He, a University of Minnesota biomedical engineering professor and lead researcher on the study, told Digital Trends. “This represents an important advancement as noninvasive BCI does not have [the] risks or costs of invasive BCI which requires surgery and implants, and may have implications to help millions of patients who can be benefited from such a technology.”

Instead of a brain implant, the technology involves an electroencephalography (EEG) setup, which records electrical activity from the brain using a cap kitted out with 64 electrodes. Signal processing and AI machine learning technology then decodes these thoughts and turns them into specific actions for the robot to perform.

bci-umn-photo-2016-12-13 — College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota

College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota

In the study, subjects started by learning to control a cursor on a computer screen. They then moved into the physical world by getting the robot arm to pick up objects on a table and place them on a three-layer shelf. All of the participants were able to control the arm, and success rates for precisely moving the objects ranged from 70-80 percent.

“We plan to move forward to test [the] prosthetic arm down the road to directly test the applicability of noninvasive BCI technology to help patients,” Professor He continued.

While at present this remains a fascinating futuristic research project, it is easy to see how this kind of technology might dramatically improve the lives of people with disabilities — in addition to having other applications involving the remote control of robots.

Former Contributor

I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

Topics

Emerging Tech

Google’s Gemini might be testing weekly limits, and free users won’t love it

Right now, almost every major AI chatbot follows the same playbook: hook people with a surprisingly capable free tier, then gently nudge them toward a subscription once they start relying on it too much. And honestly, for most users, the free versions are already good enough. You can ask questions, generate images, summarize documents, and even brainstorm ideas without constantly hitting a paywall. That is why a newly spotted change inside Google’s Gemini app feels particularly interesting.

A user on X has shared a screenshot suggesting Google may be testing stricter usage tracking and possible weekly limits inside Gemini. The screenshot shows a new section that explains, “Plan limits determine how much you can use Gemini over time.” This means Google could be preparing a more aggressive system that measures how frequently free users interact with Gemini, especially when using heavier AI models.

Emerging Tech

Scientists just broke a wireless speed record that could shape the future of 6G

Researchers hit 112Gbps over a 560GHz wireless connection, pointing to faster backhaul before 6G reaches phones

Light, Laser, Lighting

Scientists have pushed wireless speed into territory that current mobile networks can’t touch. A Tokushima University team demonstrated a 112Gbps wireless connection in the 560GHz band, using soliton microcombs to generate a more stable terahertz signal for future 6G systems.

The near-term prize isn’t a faster handset. It’s the hidden infrastructure that carries traffic between network sites, where backhaul capacity can decide whether future 6G speeds feel real or get trapped behind crowded network pipes. That makes this a useful 6G speed breakthrough to watch, even if consumers won’t see it on a spec sheet anytime soon.

Emerging Tech

Google Gemini’s new thinking level lets you dial up the brainpower

Gemini Intelligence

With Google I/O 2026 almost here, Google seems unable to stop Gemini leaks from slipping out early. Every other day, something new appears inside the app, and this time it looks like Google is experimenting with giving users more control over how much “thinking” Gemini actually does before responding.

According to a report from 9to5Google, some users are now spotting a new “Thinking Level” option inside the Gemini app. The feature reportedly appears within Gemini’s existing model picker, where users already choose between options like Fast, Thinking, Pro, or Google AI Plus.