Mind Wave Controlled Prosthetic ARM Without using Brain Implants

Abstract

Every year, more than 1 million people undergo limb amputations, and nearly one in six of the world’s population suffer from neurological disorders. Most of the afflicted are unable to perform basic day to day tasks. Until few years ago prosthetic arms served no actual utility to the one wearing it apart from giving an illusion of the limb, but now with the development of technology, prosthetic arms can be given utility to emulate the real functions of limbs. Using brain implants to read the brain signals, one can control prosthetic robotic arms which are fitted in place of the limbs. However, this procedure is invasive, risky and very expensive. Hence, not many people can afford this technology. Our paper attempts to shed light on a non-evasive cheaper approach to mind wave-controlled prosthetics without the use of brain implants. We have used an EEG headset to read the brainwaves allowing the user to move the robotic arm without having any implants. EEG headset is also a cheaper alternative to the expensive brain implants and it can be easily worn on the head and removed whenever needed. This allows us to help a wider demographic by proposing an affordable mind controlled prosthetic arm.