The future is here: human mind-control over robots. Well, it’s not quite that widespread, but one Israeli student was able to control a robot in France from his perch in Israel.

The technology works in a looped system. An fMRI machine scans the brain of the student, Tirosh Shapira, to see real-time blood flow to areas of the brain. A computer understands the patterns of blood flow as bodily movements and translates the fMRI scan into commands. The commands are then sent over the internet to the robot, which carries out these commands. 

For example, when Shapira thinks about walking forward, the robot walks forward. In fact, Shapira says he actually felt as if he were the robot. “It was mind-blowing. I really felt like I was there, moving around,” he says. “At one point the connection failed. One of the researchers picked the robot up to see what the problem was and I was like, ‘Oi, put me down!’”

Though in its early stages, this research could become essential in the military or medical fields. How might you use this technology?