Brain-Computer Interfaces for Space Applications

Recent experiments have shown the possibility to use the brain electrical activity to directly control the movement of robots. Such a kind of brain–computer interface is a natural way to augment human capabilities by providing a new interaction link with the outside world and is particularly relevant as an aid for paralysed humans, although it also opens up new possibilities in human–robot interaction for ablebodied people. One of these new fields of application is the use of brain–computer interfaces in the space environment, where astronauts are subject to extreme conditions and could greatly benefit from direct mental teleoperation of external semi-automatic manipulators—for instance, mental commands could be sent without any output/latency delays, as it is the case for manual control in microgravity conditions. Previous studies show that there is a considerable potential for this technology onboard spacecraft.