Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:00AM EST
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Controlling your avatar with your thoughts is soon to be reality thanks to a neuro-headset created by Emotiv Systems. The company showed off its prototype this week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and is hoping to release it by the end of the year.
According to the BBC, Tan Le, president of Emotiv, said the headset picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer. It is made up of several sensors that can pickup on the wearer's thoughts and expressions to make gameplay a lot more interesting, since gamers will have to work a little harder at hiding their emotions.
Apparently, the headset can detect more than 30 different emotions that include excitement, tension, frustration, meditation, as well as facial expressions such as a wink, a smile, anger, shock, and laughter. It also picks up on cognitive action such as pulling, pushing, and rotating objects (thanks to a gyroscope attached to the headset) allowing gamers to move objects in their virtual world.
The gaming headset will initially be available to consumers for $299 later this year along with a game, but Emotiv and IBM are exploring other uses for the headset that would go beyond video gaming. Sounds like a very promising gaming accessory, but we'll just have to wait and see it to believe it.
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Yikes. So if I get distracted and start thinking of grilled cheese will my avatar head to the kitchen?
Somehow I think the main problem is that of response time. How long will the avatar take to react to the emotion that I have just felt? I think this device will be a boon to the people who are paralysed or those who are basically leading a vegetated existence. I for one cant wait to see games controlled by mind. The possibilities are endless! There is only so much you can do with a keyboard & mouse.
Sounds like this headset can be used for a lot of things. I'm curious if could be used to show attraction for another person. I'm envisioning the next speed dating revolution and we'll all be wearing Emotiv headsets. Or you'll be able to put it on your wife's head and use it as a lie detector, similar to the devices at WifeBusters.com and ask her a few questions to see what she was up to yesterday. The world is changing fast.
If they make a game based around this that's an MMO, I'm not playing. I can GUARANTEE the first thing that'll happen is I'll get felt up by some kid.
The Logitech Harmony 880 and 890 remotes actually do what they promise: they let you control all you ...
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1 Posted by sbg011589 on Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:01PM EST Report Abuse
What will this do to those who have a hard time quitting playing? Now they won't even have to stop if their fingers get tired. On the other hand, it may cut down on carpal tunnel syndrome.