Puzzlebox Orbit: Brain-Controlled Helicopter

We are pleased to announce the Puzzlebox Orbit, a brain-controlled helicopter now available on Kickstarter.

Puzzlebox Orbit

For the past two years we have been publishing Open Source software and how-to building guides for hacking RC helicopters with Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) control using NeuroSky and Emotiv EEG headsets. Now we're finally making a finished product available to the public, while still freely releasing all source code, available hardware schematics, 3D models, and so on. The goal is to provide a fun toy as well as an educational introduction to BCI and neuroscience.

For the past two years Puzzlebox has been producing brain-controlled helicopters for classrooms and television. Now comes the chance to fly your own.
The Purpose
Join the experiment.
We are building and selling this crazy new toy. Then we show everyone how we made it. We will sell finished, working, brain-controlled helicopters but also release guides and software for taking them apart to rebuild or customize. We will publish lessons on how mind-controlled devices actually work and how infrared signals steer the aircraft. We are testing a hypothesis that this form of cooperation can succeed commercially while aiding the pursuit of science and education.
Our overall goal is to explore an Open approach to Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology. Advances at the cutting edge are waiting to find their way to the public and this project is our latest contribution. If our funding is successful all material including source code, hardware schematics, and documentation will be freely distributed.
Then we start the next experiment.
The Product
Puzzlebox Orbit features a unique spherical design that protects helicopter blades from unintended impact with objects such as walls and ceilings, while lending a pleasantly technical aesthetic. Despite remote control helicopters in general having earned a reputation for being fragile we have been extremely pleased with the build quality and resilience of our samples. They have survived several falls and collisions over the course of development and testing without noticeable damage.
We offer two models, the first designed to be used with mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. A NeuroSky MindWave Mobile EEG headset is required to communicate with the device over Bluetooth. Our software then extracts and visualizes your brainwaves in realtime. Command signals are issued to the Puzzlebox Orbit via an infrared adapter connected to the audio port (for compatibility with Apple's iOS).

Puzzlebox Pyramid (Prototype)

Puzzlebox Pyramid is supplied with our second, self-contained model. The Pyramid acts as a home base and remote control unit for the Orbit. It features a custom-designed, programmable micro-controller compatible with popular boards from Arduino. Twelve multi-colored LED lights are arranged according to clock positions on the face of the Pyramid and are used to indicate current levels of concentration, mental relaxation, and EEG signal quality. The lights can be customized to display different colors and patterns with distinct meanings according to preference. Lining the rim are several infrared LEDs that operate the helicopter and with software programming are capable of controlling additional IR toys and devices including televisions.
With either edition the user can select a "flight path" for the helicopter (such as "hover in place" or "fly across the room") to be carried out whenever a targetted personal mental state is detected and maintained. Third-party developers are able and encouraged to contribute new features and modes of flight control.
Puzzlebox Orbit relies on EEG hardware from NeuroSky to produce measurements of attention and meditation. Leveraging their hardware plus our proven track record with BCI has yielded a much faster and smoother time to market, empowering us to focus on building the best possible product and software. We offer rewards to backers both with and without pre-packaged headsets included.

Puzzlebox Orbits and Pyramids

The Process
Our hardware engineer returned to China at the beginning of November to oversee our manufacturing process. We have confirmed a readily-available supply of Orbit helicopters, infrared dongles for our mobile edition, and NeuroSky headsets sufficient to fill all orders for our December reward tier. Delivery to backers is expected in time for the holidays along with feature-complete beta software made available for testing on a variety of handsets and devices.
For Puzzlebox Pyramid we will use either SLA 3D printing or injection molding, based on demand. We have contacted several manufacturers who can form the mold, including a major provider in China. Our custom circuit board for Pyramid is still under design, but will be finished this month. Hao (our hardware engineer) is a Chinese national, having maintained connections to PCB manufacturers in Southern China since his early career. We have a good relationship with a significant electronic components provider as well as top factories to produce and solder PCBs. Normally it is hard to find a factory willing to train workers to assemble products numbering only in the hundreds but we have solid ties with several consumer electronics manufacturers (including one factory renowned for producing brand-name housewares such as hair dryers) and they will assemble and package Pyramids for us, regardless of number of units. Local knowledge, language, and relationships play a key role here.
Finally we have arranged for receipt, repackaging, and domestic shipping of complete systems for the US and (soon) Canada. Dependent upon response, as a flex goal we would add additional reward tiers with Orbits, Pyramids, EEG headsets, and mobile device controllers to be shipped in subsequent months. International shipping will become available in (northern) Spring 2013.
The Result
If successful our project will publish all software, protocols, and available hardware schematics under Open Source (and/or Creative Commons) licenses. We are willing to risk sharing our intellectual property in this way because we believe it is the best way to grow our community and to increase knowledge in the field.
Finally if fully funded we will produce videos and illustrated documentation explaining how the various neuroscience principles and technologies involved actually operate (including EEG and infrared transmitters). Because as cool as it might be to fly a helicopter with your brain, its cooler understanding how it all works.

Puzzlebox Brainstorms in the classroom

We envision the Puzzlebox Orbit being used for entertainment, personal training of mental focus or relaxation, and as an aid to teaching science and technology from middle school through to university level. Basic principles should be understandable by a motivated 10-year-old. Any interested high school or college student should be able to access and extend our software and designs.

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

We're anxious to explore and explain both the possibilities and limitations of EEG technology with consumer-grade hardware, and believe we have to be clear and honest when it comes to setting expectations. We are aware that misrepresentation could set back public perception of this industry for years.
When using the current Brain-Computer Interface, it will not be possible to steer the Puzzlebox Orbit in more than one direction at a time. With practice a user should be able to improve their ability to concentrate (or alternatively, relax). This effects the duration they can maintain flight as well as response time at take-off. But the science simply does not support being able to distinguish between multiple "intentions" with this quantity or placement of electrodes.
A more specific technical challenge will be to find the "sweet spot" flight settings at which the helicopter can hover as still as possible under a variety of room sizes and conditions, or fly in a straight line for long distances. We will likely have to find reasonable compromises and offer customizable trim settings to the user.
By way of disclosure at this stage we have not yet begun software development for the iOS edition but can confirm that our IR hardware is compatible. Initial releases may arrive as source code only, until our finished application has been approved by Apple for distribution in the App Store. This should be considered by backers seeking a December reward package.