Processing...

I stumbled upon an unexpected solution to my problem of how to get the commands from an Emotiv EPOC EEG headset to my Parrot AR.Drone quadricopter this weekend: Processing! I've used Processing in several of my classes over the years and have some proficiency with using it, but it isn't something I'd consider a go to development tool, and, in fact, isn't something I've frequently come across outside of those classes. That said, I've found a library that allows Processing to connect with the AR.Drone and send it piloting commands.

It also seems that Emotiv provides free software to convert their headset commands to Open Sound Control packets, which Processing can receive and interpret using another library I've found. I finally have a good handle on how I can put this project into action, and I find it more than a little bit funny that I'll wind up using Processing at the core of this particular project.

My Quadricopter Has Arrived

I've gotten my AR.Drone, and it actually works even better than I'd anticipated.

I've had a chance to test it both indoors and outdoors at this point, and while it does have the necessary control level to navigated the somewhat cluttered interior of my apartment as seen above, it really has an amazing range of motion and control that stands out when given room to truly maneuver in an open field.

Now I just need to figure out how to connect it with an EEG headset to give me mental control over it.

Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter

I believe I have found my helicopter!

Parrot's AR.Drone Quadricopter is typically flown using an iPhone or iPad app. It's on board sensors include a camera, accelerometer and sonar that allows it to hover and maintain very precise positioning relative to the ground. It allows for precision control in all directions: up, down, left, right, forward, backward, and rotation both clockwise and counter-clockwise. If I'm going to have a mind-controlled helicopter, i think this is my best bet as a base to work off of.

Thought-Control Helicopter

Following up from my previous post, I've been putting some serious thought into what my capstone project for this year will be, and I'm considering taking my inspiration from a video I saw a year ago. Specifically this one, which depicts a man using an EEG headset to get a basic toy helicopter to take off by thinking the word "Fly."

I think I'd like to do something similar, if a bit more advanced, and try to set up a thought control system to fully pilot a toy helicopter. It would need to be a slightly more advanced model than the one in the video, which looks like one of the cheap toys that doesn't give you much control over it, but I think this would be an especially interesting project. I had mentioned previously that I was interested in where thought recognition technology might be headed, and what better way to find out than to go there myself!