Virtual Telekinesis: Mind Control in Time for Christmas?

Here’s a story from AFP about Emotiv and their neural interface helmet which will allow gamers to control videogames with their thoughts. I blogged about this back in February, noting that Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), or neural interfaces, were all the rage at GDC.

The news this week is Emotiv’s headset, which includes 16 sensors for a built-in EEG unit to measure brainwaves and facial expressions, along with a gyroscope to determine head movement, will be available for the Christmas shopping season. The $299 unit will include a videogame that works with the headset when it goes on sale direct from Emotiv’s website. The game will involve activities where users lift mountains and other things with their minds, combining virtual telekinesis with the RL interface.

The software development kit to design products that integrate into the helmet has been downloaded over 1,000 times, according to the news article. Emotiv co-founder Tan Le and company engineer Marco Della Torre noted the device has multiple uses:

- Law enforcement can use it as a cheap lie detector kit, since it is ultimately an inexpensive EEG. “It certainly could be used as a very accurate polygraph,” Le said. “If you have seen something before, there is no hiding it. There is brain recognition”

- Stroke and coma victims could find new ways to communicate using the device

- Music listeners could easily tag the songs they hear, having the songs classified as making them happy, sad, etc.

My take: BCIs hold great promise in educational fields, providing a true hands-free environment and a rich field for research. Students with disabilities may benefit greatly from BCIs. If Emotiv can offer an effective device at a low price point, as seems probable if the publicity is to be believed, we can expect an uptick in related research soon.

References:
Mind games: Computer headset lets brain control action. [Online]. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJ8pFqcQxTWrU2mZTsgyzefOY8Zg

Lab Research: Drexel Students Create Neural Interface

There’s been a heavy spate of interest at the university level lately to create modified interfaces for controlling videogames; the most exciting of these involves neural interfaces, or brain-computer interfaces. Such research is seen leading toward providing benefit to victims of paralysis and other disabilities.

Students at Drexel University’s Replay Laboratory have experimented with hooking up a neuro-imaging device that fits on the forehead with a videogame. The result is a lab creation called Lazy Brains. Stephanie Abrams with the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia filed a report:

Professors at Drexel think it could be a tool to help students with ADHD focus. They also say since this device will eventually detect more brain activity, it may one day give the severely disabled who can’t talk a way to communicate directly from their brain to the computer.

Grad students who helped create the game and are listed in her report include: Hasan Ayaz, Jordan Santell, and Aaron Bohenick. More information on the Replay research lab at Drexel is available at their website.

Blind Hero: UNev Reno Team Modifies Game Interfaces for the Disabled

Chris Kohler at Wired’s Game|Life Blog writes about Dr. Eelke Folmer’s work over at University of Nevada, Reno.

Folmer’s most awesome project thus far is informally referred to as “Blind Hero.” It’s a guitar-based music game that can be played without looking at the screen. Folmer’s group developed a glove that vibrates your fingers a split-second before you’re supposed to play each note in the game. It’s difficult to play, but with enough practice you can experience the sensation of playing guitar without the onscreen commands.

Kohler noted that “Blind Hero” is the brainchild of UNR PhD student Bei Yuan. Additional work by Folmer & company includes modifying existing games so that they can be played easier by the disabled.

One example of how this works is a modified Mario Kart-style game for PC. The player’s kart automatically accelerates and steers to the right. Pressing the switch allows the player to steer to the left. A modified version of Half-Life 2 that Folmer showed us puts the player into the body of an automatically controlled bot, and the player simply needs to press the fire button when an enemy gets in his sights … Folmer stresses that his group’s ambition is not to create new game designs for people with disabilities, but to modify already-existing games, to show that any game can be rendered accessible.

This continues a long series of efforts to make videogames more accessible, many springing from the minds of university researchers. I’ve noted past efforts on brain computer interfaces that don’t require hands, and more recent presentations on neural networks at GDC this year.

Ambient Offers Sub-vocal Chat Device

In the popular Ender’s Game series of science fiction novels, the hero communicated with his computer via sub-vocal conversations. We’re starting to see a variety of non-traditional input devices for videogames, from the Wiimote to Brain Computer Interfaces. Now, a company, Ambient Corp., has demonstrated a working model of a neckband that can translate sub-vocal nerve signals into computer commands. The demo occurred at a Texas Instruments Developers Conference. Applications include wheelchair control, dictation, and assistive technology for the speech impaired. Of course, videogame apps will be offered if there is sufficient interest and demand.

Imagine a videogame adaptation of Ender’s Game where players navigate the interface sub-vocally … Or how about a game the speech impaired can play as well as others? Or how about a military immersion training that users control on several levels, including vocally, hand-eye, and sub-vocally? The possibilities are intriguing.

Neural Interfaces Hyped at GDC

I blogged about brain computer interfaces (BCIs) back in October. At that time, researchers were starting to demonstrate some interesting applications, such as using them to control avatars in Second Life. Now that GDC is upon us, neural interfaces are causing quite a stir. Robert Rice (no relation), writes in his excellent VW/MMORPG blog about the warm reception BCIs are receiving at GDC. And yet, notes Rice, they are really neither new nor revolutionary. The only thing different about them now is they are cheap to produce. He also notes Emotive System’s unit doesn’t really read emotions at all; it’s simply an inexpensive EEG unit.

The technology doesn’t read your mind. Do I need to repeat that? It doesn’t read your mind. It doesn’t connect to your brain, and it has no idea what you are thinking or feeling … What it does do, is measure electric signals, of which there are different types, locations, and strengths, that can be assigned (think key binding in your favorite FPS) to particular inputs.

 

So yes, it is absolutely possible to use this tech to do basic control of a game, but not much beyond that. You have to learn basic biofeedback techniques (breathing, concentration, temperature, and brainwave *type* generation) which is fairly easy to do with a decent feedback loop and sensitive equipment.

It’s a good read, and provides a realistic take on what might be a future wave of interface options for gaming systems. That said, it’s a cool concept, and perhaps an incremental step toward a more refined, sophisticated, yet inexpensive BCI. As I pointed out in October, the really exciting thing about this is the potential for inexpensive assistive technology for the physically disabled. We’ll see where it all leads.

Different ways to control videogames, beyond the traditional joystick, are riding a wave started by the Nintendo Wii’s controller. There were earlier efforts like force-feedback products and virtual gloves, but none attained the popularity of the Wii input devices.

Talking about the Wii is a good excuse to run another LOL cat: