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

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:

Highlights of the Serious Games Summit at GDC 2008

Ben Sawyer noted recently on his serious games listserv that the 2008 Game Developers Conference is coming up Feb. 18-22 in San Francisco. Of most interest during the conference will be the Serious Games Summit. Here are some brief highlights of the summit:

The NSF-Funded WolfQuest (screenshot below) will be featured in a discussion by David Schaller from eduweb. This game has players assuming the roles of wolves in Yellowstone National Park and learning about their habitats and nature. Sawyer and Peter Smith over at U. Central Florida will present a taxonomy for serious games. Sawyer will also serve along with Eric Zimmerman at Gamelab as moderator for a panel discussion on the difficulties of measuring learning in games.

Most all the discussions look very interesting. Check out the Serious Games Summit page for a list of all the topics that will be covered.

Call for Poster Sessions: IDGA Education SIG Summit at Game Developer's Conference in Feb.

[Please redistribute]


IGDA EDUCATION SIG SUMMIT

February 18 & 19, 2008

=========================

The IGDA Education SIG Summit is held in co-location with the Game

Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, California. This two-day summit

will focus on nuts and bolts practices in curriculum and teaching

methods for game development education. There will be two tracks, one

aimed at novice educators just entering the game education genre, the

second for experienced educators looking for additional tools teaching

game design and development. There will be lectures, model curricula,

case blasts, postmortems, interactive hands-on sessions as well as great

opportunities for networking and discussion throughout the workshop.

Attendees will leave with useful examples and ideas on how to best

develop and/or reinvigorate game development curricula in their institution.

 

The goal of this summit is to address educational issues by sharing

examples of best practices in teaching and curricula. It is our hope

that participants will collaborate and help create guidelines for the

growing community of educators teaching video game design and

development. Attendees will leave with useful examples and ideas on how

to best develop and/or reinvigorate video game curricula in their

institutions.

 

Call for Posters

================

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

•The design and execution of game design and development classes.

•The use of game design and development projects in traditional classes.

•Game design and development as capstone projects.

•Interdisciplinary collaboration in game programs (for students and

faculty).

•Teaching and curriculum development in game programs.

•Game development concentrations and majors.

•Laboratory and infrastructure requirements for game classes.

•The effect of game design and development classes on the student.

•Learning theories and pedagogy and their application to games education.

•Tools and methods for supporting games education.

•Novel and experimental games.

 

Additionally, we welcome posters detailing research results relevant to

the themes of the summit as well as posters highlighting or showcasing

student experiences in games education programs. Student experiences can

be showcased in the context of their capstone or class projects.

 

Guidelines

==========

Poster submissions must present original, unpublished research or

experiences. Late-breaking advances and work-in-progress reports from

ongoing research are also encouraged to be submitted. Posters under

review elsewhere should not be submitted.

 

To submit to the poster session, please write an abstract of the

research or experiences that you wish to present during the poster

session (800 words maximum.) Abstracts must be submitted electronically

to submit_EdSIGposter (at symbol) igda.org.

 

Important dates in the paper submission process include the following:

 

Submission deadline: January 15, 2008 (12:00 midnight, US Eastern time)

Notification:  January 24, 2008


Questions on poster sessions can be directed to the poster session chair

José Zagal at jp (at symbol) cc.gatech.edu

 

If the poster is accepted you will be expected to comply with the

following guidelines:

 

1.All posters will be presented on a tri-fold presentation board 36" by

48".

2.Provide 100 copies of the Abstract of the poster.

•Include title, Author(s)

•Single spaced

•Limit to one page in length

3.Authors of accepted posters are required to be present at their

posters for discussion at the specified time during the summit.

4.Authors are responsible for the transportation of their presentations.

5.Use large enough fonts for subtitles and text so that the poster can

be read from approximately 2-3 feet away. Avoid the use of script fonts

that are difficult to read.

 

Further Information

===================

 

IGDA Information: http://www.igda.org/

Education Summit Information: http://gdconf.com/conference/edusig.htm

Game Developer's Conference 2008: http://www.gdconf.com/

--

José Pablo Zagal

Georgia Institute of Technology

jp (at symbol) cc.gatech.edu  - http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jp

Update on GameBrix

Frank Ferguson over at Curriculum Associates tells me the beta for GameBrix, discussed here, is rapidly improving. The tools work. The tutorials are coming along. FAQs are being developed. Plans at the moment are to go live around the Game Developer Conference in February. As it is in open beta, now is a great opportunity to give feedback to the developers for features and toolsets you’d like to see. Personally, I think GameBrix could develop into an excellent resource for teachers and students.