Imagine humans controlling robots with their minds. Quadriplegics driving cars. Accident predictions using ear buds.
Except, you no longer need to imagine it. The technology is here. In fact, the technology was being worn by the keynote speaker on Tuesday morning, Olivier Oullier, president of EMOTIV. Standing in for Tan Le, who was not able to make it last-minute, Oullier delivered a message that had attendees lining up with questions at the end of the presentation, “The Neurogeneration – The Future Is Closer than You Think,” about the latest breakthroughs in mind control.
“Mind control.” A term that used to be part of science fiction movies and fictional books is now being accurately used to describe current EMOTIV products in use by more than 100,000 people in 120 countries. And their potential in the supply chain is tantalizing.
For example, imagine being able to determine your workers’ peak production times. Knowing instantly when a person is too tired to safely operate a machine. Using virtual reality for onboarding and training. Having an associate control a robot’s movements from afar. Tracking eye movements and identifying what people are paying attention to.
These are all realities about ways mind control could impact the supply chain processes and options.
The key, other than the futuristic technology? Algorithms. They are being written and customized to utilize the data being collected, enabling all types of actions. For example, algorithms are the key behind what is enabling workers’ levels of stress and distraction to be measured and analyzed. EMOTIV found that certain levels of stress can be positive, said Oullier. However, the amount of sleep one gets directly correlates to cognitive performance and stress levels; less sleep means higher levels of stress and lower levels of cognitive performance. The lesson here, said Oullier, is that when it comes to understanding people, we’ve been using tools that equate to using a butcher knife to perform brain surgery. “There is no one-size-fits-all work environment,” he added. But, it can now be tailored more specifically to each person and each task.
“By closing the loop, the content can adapt to the mental state of that person,” said Oullier, explaining that the learning phase can now be connected to the execution.
Plus, in addition to controlling things with your mind, you can also collect data. And data is the answer to “creating the best working environment and workplaces for everyone to be well, safe and productive,” said Ouillier. Data has changed our lives, personally and professionally. And data is what EMOTIV is collecting, in abundance, from its products – data that helps demystify the human brain, “a very unexplored territory,” he said. This data will help fill in the missing part of the picture, the part that means the difference between understanding or misinterpreting. The part that means the difference between having an accident or having all your workers go home safely to their families.
At the end of the day, the one thing that should matter, said Ouiller, is that safety and wellness has improved, thanks to science, technology and more humanity.