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Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from a human brain.
By generating the proper brainwaves-picked up by a cap with electrodes(电极)that sense the signals
and reflect a person's instructions-scientists can instruct a humanoid robot to move to specific locations
and pick up certain objects.
The commands are limited to moving forward, picking up one of two objects and bringing it to one of
two locations.The researchers have achieved 94 percent accuracy between the thought commands and
the robot's movements.
"This is really a proofofconcept demonstration, "said Rajesh Rao, a researcher from the University of
Washington who leads the project."It suggests that one day we might be able to use semiautonomous
robots for such jobs as helping disabled people or performing routine tasks in a person's home."
The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot's movement on a computer screen through
two cameras installed on and above the robot.
When the robot's cameras see the objects that are to be picked up they pass on the information to the
user's computer screen.Each object lights up randomly on the computer screen.When a person wants
something to be picked up and it happens to light up, the brain registers surprise and sends this brain
activity to the computer and then to the robot as the choice object.The robot then proceeds to pick up
the object.
A similar program is used to decide where the robot will go.
"One of the important things about this demonstration is that we're using a 'noisy' brain signal to
control the robot, "Rao said."That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the
surface of the head, and not where they are generated deep in the brain.As a result, the user can only
generate highlevel commands such as indication which object to pick up or which location to go to, and
the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands."
In the future, the researchers hope to make the robot more adaptive to the environment by having
them carry out more complex commands.
1. What is special about the robot introduced in the passage?
A. It is controlled by human thoughts.
B. It can be made humanoid.
C. It can be used to help the disabled.
D. It has high intelligence itself.
2. Which of the following is TRUE about the robot?
A. It can move forward and backward and pick up two objects at the same time.
B. It can move forward, pick up both objects and bring them to either location.
C. It can only move forward, pick up one object and put it in one location.
D. It can read all human thoughts and do as instructed.
3. What Rao says in the eighth paragraph suggests that the new robot________.
A. is still at its early stage of development
B. will be widely used in our daily routines soon
C. is autonomous enough to complete complex commands
D. is only limited to doing routine work at home
4. The sixth paragraph mainly describes________.
A. how the robot controls a person's action
B. how the robot picks up the right object
C. how the person controls the robot
D. how the robot finds out where to go
