--- title: "This System Lets You Fly a Drone With Arm Gestures" description: "Researchers at MIT have developed a Jedi mind control system that allows you to control a drone by just twisting and lifting your forearm." date: "2020-04-27" modified: "2020-04-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fly-drone-arm-gestures" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "CSAIL" - "drones" - "mit" - "the digest" --- # This System Lets You Fly a Drone With Arm Gestures ![Researchers at MIT have developed a Jedi mind control system that allows you to control a drone by just twisting and lifting your forearm.]() *\Image: CSAIL\* Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) have developed a Jedi-like mind control system that allows you to control a drone by just [twisting and lifting your forearm](). https://youtu.be/3VJpw3ktCGo A video uploaded by the CSAIL team shows off the system. The drone pilot is able to maneuver a small drone through a series of rings easily just by twisting, raising, and lowering his forearm thanks to a device strapped around his arm. The goal is to make controlling the drone — and potentially other pieces of technology — as natural as possible by harnessing human intuition. A [paper]() published last month details the such a "plug-and-play gesture control" that relies on muscle and motion sensors. "Allowing machines to interpret nonverbal commands such as gestures can help make interactions more similar to interactions with another person," reads the paper. "Yet to be pervasive and effective in realistic scenarios, such interfaces should not require significant sensing infrastructure or per-user setup time." The bracelet-like device picks up motion through electrical signals and can differentiate between a clenched fist, hand rotation, or forearm movement. According to experiments, the drone was adept at reading desired inputs, correctly identifying and responding to 81 percent of 1,535 "unstructured gestures." **READ MORE:** [MIT muscle-control system for drones lets a pilot use gestures for accurate and specific navigation]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on drones:** *[US POLICE TESTING “PANDEMIC DRONES” THAT MONITOR SOCIAL DISTANCING]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()