Google thinks self-driving cars are the future — but these researchers from China's Nankai University believe they've got it beat.
The researchers took their mind-controlled car for its first spin on Wednesday. Driving around Nankai's grounds, they were able to accelerate, brake, go in reverse, and even open and shut doors just using their minds. (Turning, however, still had to be done the old-fashioned way.)
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State-owned news agency Xinhua explains how it works:
The car is controlled via a headset with 16 sensors that sends impulses from the user's brain to the car's processing system...The sensors capture brain signals and the recognition system analyzes them, translates them into driving instructions, and sends them to the car. [Xinhua]
It turns out this isn't actually the first mind-controlled car to be debuted — it's just the first in China. Researchers from Germany (who else?) debuted their "Brain Driver" in 2014 — and it could turn, too.
Quick word of advice, though: Just don't talk too much while driving. Or listen to a book on tape. Or check that text message. Or...
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