BrainCo unveils brain-to-robot platform to control humanoid robots with thoughts at WAIC

Chinese platform lets people control humanoid robots with thoughts

Teaching robots how to act is hard. Teaching them what humans actually want is even harder. Despite advances in artificial intelligence, robots still struggle to interpret human thoughts and translate them into reliable actions. Chinese brain-computer interface company BrainCo claims to have solved this problem to some extent with its world-first integrated 'brain-to-robot' platform. Unveiled at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, the system is designed to allow users to control robots using brain signals alone. "The embodied AI industry has made remarkable progress on what robots can do on their own. We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with," Nyx He, senior vice-president of BrainCo, told SCMP. Moreover, beyond hands-free control, the company believes the technology could help tackle one of robotics' biggest challenges: generating the high-quality training data needed to train intelligent machines. The platform relies on a non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI). Users wear an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset that detects the tiny electrical signals naturally produced by the brain through sensors placed on the scalp. Artificial intelligence algorithms then analyze these signals to determine what action the user intends to perform. Once the software interprets that intention, it converts the command into instructions that a connected robot can carry out. "A decade of BCI research has given us the ability to decode what a person intends to do and translate that into machine action," Nyx He said. According to BrainCo, the platform works with a range of third-party hardware, including humanoid robots, robotic arms and robotic dogs. In one example, a robotic arm was able to grasp objects such as a cup or an apple based solely on the user's brain signals. The company has focused on non-invasive BCIs and prosthetic technologies. This distinguishes it from companies such as Neuralink, which are developing surgically implanted brain chips that record neural activity from inside the brain. While controlling robots with brain signals attracts the most attention, BrainCo argues that the platform's larger value may lie in training future robots. One of the biggest bottlenecks in embodied AI- the field focused on AI-powered machines that can interact with the physical world -- is the lack of high-quality real-world training data. Robots need large amounts of such data to learn how people perform tasks and interact with their surroundings. BrainCo argues that the next challenge for robotics is not simply making robots more capable, but helping them better understand the people they work alongside. "We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with," He added. The company says its platform could help generate richer training datasets by combining real-world robot execution, human demonstrations and virtual simulations. The idea comes as Chinese and US technology companies race to develop more capable embodied AI. Firms such as Tesla and Nvidia are investing heavily in robots that can perceive their surroundings, reason about tasks and manipulate objects autonomously. Yet industry experts say data shortages remain a major obstacle. In a recent report, HSBC analysts noted that China's humanoid robot sector still lacks the high-quality real-world data needed to build advanced robotic brains and that the commercialization of humanoid robots remains years away. BrainCo's platform points toward a future in which robots may be guided more directly by human intent rather than keyboards, controllers, or voice commands. If successful, the approach could make interactions between people and robots more intuitive across a wide range of future applications. However, there are many limitations that need to be addressed. For instance, non-invasive EEG systems generally capture weaker and noisier signals than implanted brain devices, making accuracy and reliability critical hurdles. BrainCo has not yet released detailed performance data, and the technology will need to prove it can work consistently outside controlled demonstrations. Still, the launch reflects a growing belief that the next leap in robotics may come not from building stronger machines, but from finding better ways for them to understand the humans they serve.

Chinese company BrainCo unveils first 'brain-to-robot' interface for controlling robots with your thoughts

* A new 'brain-to-robot' interface has been unveiled in China * It uses non-invasive EEG technology * The system will supply much-needed real-world AI training data We're seeing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) continue to get more advanced and more practical, and Chinese company BrainCo has now announced another first: a BCI that enables robots to be controlled by thoughts. As reported by the South China Morning Post, BrainCo says the system works through EEG (electroencephalogram) headsets worn by human operators, which translate neural activity into instructions for robots to follow. Like other similar 'mind reading' devices, it's based on vast amounts of training data that associate specific neuron activity with specific commands as they're imagined in the brain. AI algorithms then manage the job of finding the right action for the right thought. It's called the Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform, and it was unveiled at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai -- the biggest and most important AI tech event on the calendar in China. Think it into reality BrainCo says that as well as being used to control robots, the system can also act as an interface to connect to robotic arms and other devices. A robotic arm could be instructed to pick up a cup through thoughts alone, for example. As the Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform becomes more widely used, it will also be collecting data -- data that can then be applied to refine the underlying algorithms further. High-quality training data is currently one of the major bottlenecks in the industry. "The embodied AI industry has made remarkable progress on what robots can do on their own," said Nyx He, a partner and senior vice-president at BrainCo. "We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with." With AI models continuing to get smarter and more sophisticated, this is going to feed into the 'physical AI' of robotics -- giving these machines greater flexibility, more dexterity, and as we've seen here, thought-controlled inputs. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.