A brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows humans to use thoughts to control the flight of a virtual helicopter in 3-D and real time has been developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering.

The researchers trained test subjects to control the flight of the virtual helicopters using EEG electrical signals from the scalp and decoding sensorimotor rhythms (generated by imagining movements).

When a subject thinks about moving forwards and backwards, ascending or descending, hovering in mid-air or turning in space, the helicopter responds in turn.

According to the researchers, these results confirm, for the first time, the effective, three-dimensional control of a noninvasive BCI system based on motor (muscle) imagery, and suggest potential uses in neuroprosthetics, rehabilitative medicine, and other applications.

Ref.: Doud AJ, Lucas JP, Pisansky MT, He B, Continuous Three-Dimensional Control of a Virtual Helicopter Using a Motor Imagery Based Brain-Computer Interface, PLoS ONE (2011) [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026322]