Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Mind-controlled devices: for PC-games and beyond



If you think mind-control and telekinesis used to be the type of stuff you could only find in sci-fi flicks or paranormal literature, think again.
Emotiv Systems is creating "the ultimate interface for the next-generation of human-machine interaction...(it) has created technologies that allow machines to take both conscious and non-conscious inputs directly from your mind." Using electroencephalography or EEG, Emotiv Systems has developed a way for you to communicate with your computer with your thoughts, via your brain's electrical activity. While this techonology offers endless possibilities for a wide span of industries, Emotive Systems is currently setting its sights on the entertainment gaming industries.

Look Ma, no hands! No wires, no mice, no keyboards, no joysticks, this brain-computer interface is now becoming a reality with the use of wireless headset called Epoc. A lot more like the telepathic superpowers of X-Men's hero Professor X (when you control your game characters) or the villain Magneto (when you control objects) Epoc gives you this mind-control power once you slip on this headgear. It does its work by reading the electrical signals from your brain and translating them into commands that control the computer.

To clearly illustrate its capabilities, Epoc comes bundled with a computer game. You need not strain yourself with the rigors of "hand-eye coordination" with this gadget. You can "lift" or "bend" things on the monitor by just willing the action in your mind. Hello Francis Xavier!
It is also interesting to note that while science could not explain telekinesis, it now succeeds in simulating it through Epoc. This mind-boggling device is expected to hit the market by the end of the year.