Have you ever wondered what it would be like to control someone else using nothing but your mind? Well, Norway-based artist Diva Helmy and Backyard Brains co-founder Greg Gage have made that a reality… to some extent. Their project — The Controller — features various experiments with The Human to Humans Interface (HHsI), which enables an individual to wirelessly command multiple people’s arms via brain signals.
As you can see in the video below, Helmy shows one person controlling another playing a harmonica, then another manipulating a group of five to curl their arms. In terms of its hardware, HHsI is equipped with an Arduino, a MuscleSpiker shield, a TENS unit, 9V batteries and radio frequency modules.
“The first human’s EMG signal (neurological activity in muscle cells) is recorded as they move their arm,” its creators explain. “The value of the signal activates the nerve stimulators via radio frequency which then sends an electrical sensation through the arms of the controlled bodies forcing them to move based on when the first individual sends a brain signal to move their own arm. All arms move simultaneously based on the brain signal of the first individual, the controller.”
According to Helmy, the wireless signals can be sent between the units up to a distance of 65 feet and the technology is capable of supporting 100 controlled users.
[Image: The Creators Project via Diva Helmy]