5 A possible future scenario: controlling machines by thought A wide range of applications in combination with other systems The heart of the new operating concepts: software as a channel of human-machine communication A glance into the future reveals visions that go even beyond mere voice control. Before long, both consumer goods and industrial machinery could also be controlled by means of thought commands. The experts already foresee the use of brain-computer interfaces in the near future, for example in the operation of smartphones or for working on tablet PCs. A pioneer in the thought control of machines As an innovation leader in its industry, Festo investigated thought control of machines at an early stage and developed its own software solution for the CogniGame pilot project. This technology is becoming increasingly intelligent and is more and more capable of adapting to changing ambient conditions and adaptively responding to human intervention at all times. New requirements for the factory of the future In its investigations into the factory of the future, Festo is concerned with the questions of how humans and machines can interact more efficiently in the face of constant technological change, and the demands that production must meet in the future. Even in the factory of the future, not all processes will be fully automated. Rather, the production facilities of the future will be characterised by variable processes. New operational concepts will be in demand, with which the human operator can communicate with the technology more rapidly, directly and conveniently: the solutions will range from joystick systems via voice commands to the control of processes by thought. New concepts in human-machine interaction Using specially developed software solutions in combination with a brain-computer interface, Festo is carrying out research into thought control of systems in automation. In the future, software solutions such as CogniWare in conjunction with other systems could extend the human operator’s scope of action to meet specific requirements by means of active support. In conjunction with the active ExoHand manual orthosis, for example, applications are conceivable for power amplification in industrial assembly, in the rehabilitation of stroke patients or for the intuitive control of robots.
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