It’s always been a dream of mine that one day my brain would interface directly with my computer. I know for many, it would be the worst sci-fi horror, but as someone who has spent years entering commands with a keyboard, it would be a delight if I could just think and the machine would respond.
Such a dream is getting closer than the average person probably imagines. Two weeks ago at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Emotiv Systems, a pioneer in brain computer interface technology, unveiled the Emotiv EPOC — a neuroheadset that allows players to control gameplay with their thoughts, expressions and emotions. The company put on a live interactive demonstration of the new device in its final consumer form factor at the conference. Basically, they showed off the real thing and it works.
The Emotiv EPOC is the first high-fidelity brain computer interface (BCI) device for the video gaming market and will be available to consumers in late 2008, priced at $299. Consumers can sign up to purchase one of the first headsets at www.emotiv.com.
The brain is made up of approximately 100 billion nerve cells, which are called neurons. When these neurons interact, an electrical impulse is emitted, which can be observed using non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG). The Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset is a lightweight, easy-to-use wireless device, featuring sensors that detect conscious thoughts, expressions and non-conscious emotions based on processing the electrical signals around the brain. This allows human thoughts, expressions and emotions to control and influence an application — a video game.
“Being able to control a computer with your mind is the ultimate quest of human-machine interaction,” said Nam Do, CEO of Emotiv Systems. “When integrated into games, virtual worlds and other simulated environments, this technology will have a profound impact on the user’s experience. Since announcing our prototype last year, we’ve made dramatic technological breakthroughs in order to create the first wearable, affordable brain-controlled gaming headset. We’re excited to see our vision realized this year and look forward to enabling gamers out there to experience brain-controlled gaming for themselves.”
The Emotiv EPOC detects over 30 different expressions, emotions and actions these include: emotional detections such as immersion, excitement, meditation, tension and frustration; facial expressions such as smile, laugh, wink, crossed eyes, shock (eyebrows raised), anger (eyebrows furrowed), horizontal eye movement, smirk and grimace (clenched teeth); and cognitive actions such as push, pull, lift, drop and rotate (on six different axis) as well as a completely new category of action based on visualization, the first of which is the ability to make objects disappear. As a result of these detections, players will enjoy a more immersive, lifelike experience. Games will be able to respond dynamically to player emotions, enabling, for example, more sophisticated dynamic difficulty adjustment. Players can more easily simulate the magical or fantastical aspects of gaming by controlling certain actions and expressions and manipulating objects in the game using their brains instead of a keyboard or joystick. In addition to these detections, the Emotiv EPOC incorporates a gyroscope, which enables the camera or cursor to be controlled by head motions.
The Emotiv EPOC will ship with game content developed specifically by Emotiv to enable players to explore all the possibilities of brain-controlled gaming. In addition, users will have access to the Emortal, a next generation online portal that allows users to access and experience content through the neuroheadset. Designed as a spatial representation of a cityscape, users access the Emortal through a browser. They can walk though the cityscape and discover games and other applications that integrate with the Emotiv EPOC and download them. They can also upload their own content, such as music or photos, and experience them through the headset. Additionally, the portal provides an opportunity for social interaction with other Emotiv EPOC users through chat or community areas. The portal will be launched later this year in conjunction with general availability of the neuroheadset.
Consumers can also experience any of their favorite PC games through the neuroheadset, by using the Emotiv EmoKey, which allows the user to link any detection to any action in the game.
Emotiv and IBM have also announced that they intend to consider the potential for Emotiv’s BCI technology beyond the gaming market, into more strategic enterprise business markets and virtual worlds. IBM and Emotiv plan to explore how to make these environments more personal, intuitive, immersive and ultimately more lifelike. IBM also intends to investigate how the Emotiv headset may be used for researching other possible applications of Emotiv’s BCI technology, including virtual training and learning, collaboration, development, design and sophisticated simulation platforms for industries such as enterprise and government.
