Kicksharing service Whoosh, together with Russian biotech lab Neiry, have conducted an experiment to control a scooter with the power of thought, the companies said in a joint statement. The speed of the device was controlled hands-free by brain wave activity.
The Neiry neural interface was used in the experiment, a device that takes the parameters of the electroencephalogram of the human brain. Neiry allows us to understand what state the brain is in: its cognitive load, fatigue, stress and concentration.
Using the API, the developers connected the neural interface to the computer, and the computer connected to the Whoosh Segway Ninebot scooter. Neiry’s algorithms analyze the degree of concentration of a person, the developers associated this indicator with the speed of an electric scooter.
The concentration of attention of a person is determined by a change in the ratio of alpha and beta rhythms of the brain. The speed of the scooter increases when the user concentrates; this happens when there are no obstacles in the driver’s path and the road is smooth.
In the state in which the concentration is reduced, the speed of the scooter decreases. Thus, the developers managed to change the speed of the scooter with the “power of thought”. The partners note that this is the first such experiment in the world.
Whoosh developers created a working prototype. The project is experimental, now Whoosh does not plan to use this feature in mass travel.
- Neiry is a Russian biotechnology laboratory and developer of IT products, platforms and systems based on neurotechnologies, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation, a participant in the innovation pilot program of the Moscow Innovation Agency.
- Whoosh is a developer of technological solutions for transport in micromobiles and one of the largest Russian kicksharing operators of the same name. In the first 8 months of 2023, Whoosh users took more than 71 million trips. The total number of users of the service exceeds 18 million people. Whoosh’s fleet consists of 138,000 SIMs. Since December 2022, the company’s shares have been traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange.
Author:
anastasia marina
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
